Had Me At Hello
by MitchelMussoForever
Summary: When she first saw him, he took her breath away. There was something familiar about those eyes, that Mikayla was determined to find out what made him so special. How does she react when she finds out the boy is in line for the throne?
1. Tell us a story

**Hey you guys… guess what? I'm not retiring! Yay! So, this is my new story! I can't promise it'll be amazing, but I'm hoping it'll be okay. I adopted this idea from humanusscriptor's story My Brakayla Story Ideas and it was originally submitted by Princess-Girl 12, so… that's where I got it. Kay, now for Chapter One.**

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**Brooklyn's POV**

"Brooklyn!"

I rolled over and pulled the covers tighter around me. "Go away."

"Brook_lyn_! Come _on_, wake up!"

I groaned, shoved my covers off, and sat up, rubbing my eyes. Sitting at the end of my bed, watching me, was my little brother and two of my younger boy cousins. "What are you doing?" I demanded, pushing a strand of tangled light brown hair behind my ear.

"Mom sent us to wake you up," my eleven-year old brother Maxum informed me.

"Well, I'm up, so you can go away," I said irritably.

Maxum squinted at me suspiciously. "How can I be sure you won't just go back to sleep?"

I glared at him. "Leave now or I'll throw my pillow at you."

"Okay, okay! But hurry up, Uncle Boz and Aunt Candis'll be here soon." He turned back to our cousins. "Doc, Logan, I'll race you downstairs!"

As soon as they were gone I swung my legs over the side of my bed and stood up. After making my bed, _really _making it, not just pulling up the covers like Maxum and my cousins do, I walked over to my dresser and took a look at my clothing options. Aunt Candis was coming over today, and she's practically a fashion _goddess _on this island, so I had to look _perfect_. Finally, after almost the minutes of trying on different outfits, I decided on a knee-length white skirt, flowered pink top, and cropped jean jacket. Then I fiddled with lip gloss, mascara, and pink eye shadow until I looked at least okay, then I started to brushed my elbow-length light brown curly hair I inherited from my mom.

See, I _normally _don't really care about how I look. My island tan, hazel eyes, and curly hair look fine if I just throw on a t-shirt and shorts and don't even bother with make-up. But my Aunt Candis, who normally lives over on West Kinkow but is coming to visit today, loves clothing and make-up and all that stuff I hate. Like I said, she's practically a fashion goddess. And if I don't look like I've at least made an effort every time she comes over, she'll give me a speech about how I have no fashion sense and I need to start caring about how I look now that I'm in high school, then she'll take me shopping and out to get a make-over, which is pretty much torture for me, just like it was for my mom when she was younger and Aunt Candis's BFF.

When I'm finally finished, I give myself a once-over in the mirror, find my appearance satisfying, then turn around and head downstairs for breakfast.

"Will they be here soon?" I asked my mom as I sat down next to her at the long dining room table. The room was almost deserted, except for my mom and Aunt Rebecca. The boys must have already eaten.

"Yes, darling," she said, smiling at me. "They should be here very soon."

"Good," I said. A plate piled with eggs, sausages, and toast was already set into front of me, so I grabbed it, pulled it towards me, and dug in.

"Did you have a good night's sleep?" My mom asked me.

I nodded. "Yup. Maxum woke me up too early, though."

"He woke you up at 8:30, Brooklyn. That's not too early."

"She may be a lot like you, Mikayla," Aunt Rebecca said to my mom, the corners of her mouth twitching like she was trying hard not to laugh. "But her sleep schedule is just like Brady's."

My mom sighed. "Isn't that the truth."

"And what's wrong with her being like me?" My dad asked, wrapping his arms around my mom from behind and resting his chin on top of her head. He'd snuck in when none of us had been paying attention.

She would've jumped a mile if he hadn't been holding her down. "Brady! I told you to stop doing that!"  
My dad grinned. He looked just like Maxum when he did that. "And when do I ever listen?"  
She sighed again, though this time she was smiling a little. "Never."

"Exactly." He straightened. "They're here."

"They're here!" I exclaimed, jumping up and running out the door.

"Brooklyn!" I heard my mom yell after me. "You didn't even say good morning to your father."

"Good morning dad!" I called over my shoulder. What? I can't help being excited. I only get to see Uncle Boz's family like once a month. Or even less. They live on the part of the island that use to be the dark side, which was now called West Kinkow. My dad and Uncle Boomer and their families lived in the castle on East Kinkow. They were still all co-kings, my dad and Uncles Boomer and Boz, since they were triplets, but Boz had moved to West Kinkow when I was a baby so the whole island would be better covered. And I always _really _missed them, mainly because they had twin girls a year younger than me, and the only other kids who lived here were my brother and three little boy cousins. The only girls around were my mom and Aunt Rebecca, and they're awesome and all, but they can't beat girls my own age (or close to my own age, anyways).

I ran out into the plaza, where everyone was already gathered (except for my parents and Aunt Rebecca).

"Brooklyn!" Aunt Candis exclaimed, taking my arm and looking me up and down. "You look wonderful!"  
"Really?" I asked, unable to believe my ears. She _always _found _something _wrong with my appearance.

She nodded, beaming. "Yes, you do. But those eyebrows…" She wrinkled her nose. "We'll have to fix that later."

I sighed. "It's good to see you, Aunt Candis."

"It's good to see you too, dear." She gave me another sugary-sweet smile and walked over to my mom and Aunt Rebecca, who'd just entered the plaza.

"Wow Brooklyn, look how much you've grown," Uncle Boz said, coming up behind me. "How old are you now?"  
"Fourteen," I said, a bit proudly.

"Really? Fourteen already? Seems like just yesterday you were only this tall." He held his hand at knee-level.

I just smiled, unable to think of anything to say.

"And Ameera's getting straight As in school," Aunt Candis said loudly behind me.

"Mom, for the millionth time, my name is _Wendy_," my cousin said, rolling her eyes at her mother.

"Hey Wendy!" I said, grinning.

"Brooke!" She cried, hugging me. "Oh my gosh, you look so grown up!" My cousin Wendy (her real name was Ameera but she preferred to go by her middle name, Gwendolyn, or Wendy for short) was looking pretty grown-up herself. She looked just like her dad, with fair skin, shoulder-length red hair tied back in a ponytail, and sparkling blue eyes.

"Yeah, I love your make-up!" Her twin Alice said. Alice was nothing like her twin at all, she looked and acted exactly like her mother. Then she squinted at me. "But your eyebrows need some serious help…" Can you see the resemblance?

"Okay, let our guest get some rest! You'll have plenty of time to catch up, they'll be staying for a whole week!" My mom said loudly.

The plaza immediately started to clear out. That's what my dad calls the power of Mikayla Makoola-Parker.

~XXX~

"I can't wait to go surfing! The waves over on West Kinkow totally suck," Wendy said as we walked into the Throne Room a few hours later.

I nodded slowly, then stopped mid-nod as something caught my eye. "Gabe!" I said sharply. "What are you doing?"  
My youngest cousin, seven-year-old Gabriel Parker, who'd been tiptoeing across the Throne Room with something held behind his back, froze immediately.

I walked over to him and held out my hand. "Gabe, I know you're hiding something. Hand it over."

He scowled and put a goldfish in my hand.

I squealed and dropped it. "Ewww, gross!"

At that moment the Throne Room door swung open and Maxum, Doc, and Logan came running in, screaming their heads off. Which of course made Gabe start screaming too.

"Quiet!" I yelled.

My mom came running in, one hand over her left ear. "What is going on?"  
"I can't make them shut up!" I yelled over the din.

"SHUT UP!" My mom yelled.

Instantly the room went quiet.

"Okay," my mom said serenely, as if she hadn't just been screaming at them. "Sit down, and I'll tell you all a story."

"What story?" Maxum asked.

"Tell us about when you and dad first met," I said. "We've never hear that story."

"Awww, that's _boring_," Maxum complained.

My mom ignored him. "Okay then. When Brady and I first met… Well, that's a very interesting story. And this is how it starts…"

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**Just so we're clear, this story isn't all about their kids. Not at all. They'll only be a few chapters here and there. The rest in all in the past, the plot is like the summary. Oh, and I have a challenge for all of you. I want to see if y'all can guess where I got all the Parker kids names from. And please review and tell me if you like this so far! **


	2. Those eyes

**Sorry for taking so long to post! I feel so bad! I have been SO busy taking care of my little cousins! **

**Good job to all of you that guessed some of the names! Y'all did pretty good. Okay, here's where I got all of the names: for Boz's twin girls, I chose the names of my friend Wendy and her twin sister. For Boomer's boys, I chose Doc like Doc Shaw (the actor for Boomer), Logan like Logan Browning (the actor for Rebecca), and Gabriel for my friend/"twin brother". And for Brady's kids, I got the names from the episode ****_No Rhyme or Treason_****, where Brady says, "What, sorry, I was just naming our future children. So far I've got Maxum, Brooklyn, and Bra-kayla Jr." I decided ****not to do Bra-kayla Jr...**

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**Eighteen Years Earlier**

**Mikayla's POV**

"Mikayla! Candis is here!" My aunt called.

"Coming!" I yelled back. I cast one last look around the tiny bedroom to make sure it was spotless. If I left the house leaving this place even a _little _bit messy, Aunt Ethel would _kill _me. Thankfully, our hut was pretty small (thought that's not something I'm usually thankful about), so tidying up me and my aunt's bedroom had been pretty easy. Deciding it looked pretty good, I swung my leather satchel over my shoulder and walked through the low doorway into the other room.

There was my best friend, standing in front door frame, chatting animatedly with Aunt Ethel. I could tell she was talking about shopping by the way her eyes were shining. Candis LOVES shopping.

"Hey Candis," I said.

"Mikayla!" She cried, flinging her arms around me in a tight bear hug. Her perfume was _really _strong up close.

I coughed and she released me.

"Oh, we are going to have SO much fun!" She exclaimed, beaming at me. "Thanks for letting me borrow her, Ms. Makoola."

"No trouble at all," Aunt Ethel said. "Go have fun shopping, girls."

"Thanks Auntie," I said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be back before dark."

"I'm so glad she let you come today," Candis said. "We NEVER get any girl time!"

"Candis, we hang out all the time," I said.

"Yeah, but how often do we get to go shopping together? Most of the time I have to go by myself! I need to go with my bestie. That's the whole POINT of besties!"

I sighed. "I know, and I'm sorry, Candis. But if you don't want to go shopping alone then go with one of your other friends. You have dozens."

"But you're my _best-ie_!" She whined. "I want to go with _you_."

"Well, I'm coming with you today, aren't I?" I asked.

"Yes you are," she said brightly. "And we're going to do something about those awful man-sandals of yours."  
"Candis, my clothes- and shoes- are fine. And I don't care about that stuff anyways."

"Sweetheart, if you ever want to find a man then you need to start caring."

I rolled my eyes. "I don't want to "find a man"."

"Of course you do. Everyone wants true love."

"Well I don't want it and I don't need it."

"You'll be eating those words someday, Mikayla, just you wait."

"Can we please change the subject?" I asked, a bit desperately.

"Fine," she said, rather reluctantly. "How's your dad? Have you seen him recently?"  
I shook my head. "He's super busy working. He hasn't had time to come home since the kings' return."

My dad is the Head Guard up at the palace. He manages all the guards and he's protected and advised the teenage triplet kings since they took their thrones almost a year ago. He really loves it, and I'm so happy he has a job he enjoys so much, but unfortunately, it's a live-in position. It didn't use to be, back when the kings' father was still alive, but since his death the Head Guard was always required inside the castle walls in order to provide top protection for everyone inside. He'd still use to come visit me though, sometimes even three or four times a week during slow months. But since the kings came, he's so busy he can't get away. So it's just me and Aunt Ethel in the house, at least since my mom died when I was seven years old. Aunt Ethel's my dad's older sister and she's lived with us since I was born, she moved in because my mom needed help taking care of me. Aunt Ethel has raised five kids in her life, all of them hers except me, but they all died, and her husband too, before I was born. Twenty years ago a horrible epidemic swept the entire island, killing hundreds and hundreds of people, including Aunt Ethel's whole family. My mom caught it too, but she didn't die. It severely weakened her, though, and that's why she died when I was little. I know my dad and Aunt Ethel really miss her. I can't miss her, I can barely remember her, she died ten whole years ago. But I wish she was still alive. I'm sure if she was still alive things would be better. Way better.

Our hut isn't very close to town, and it was a long walk down the dirt road with Candis, but we finally reached the main street.

"Okay," Candis said, sounding suddenly businesslike. She always sounds like that whenever she's talking about her two specialties: shopping and relationships. I know, weird, right? "I've made a list of what we need to get."

"Candis, you're shopping _constantly_. How can you still need anything?"

She ignored me, of course. She was already in _the zone_. "Come on, _Arabella's_ is our first stop."

I groaned. "I _hate _that place!"

"Come on, it'll be good for you."

"Since when is shopping good for you?"

She ignored me again.

In the next three hours, I was dragged through _nineteen_ stores, forced into _thirty-two_ dresses, and made to carry _forty-eight_ shopping bags.

"Candis, can we _please _call it a day?" I begged as we were leaving _Aubergine_. "I'm exhausted and these bags are _killing _me."

She sighed loudly and deliberately. "Fine! We can go home! But sweetie, you _need_ to get use to shopping! All girls love it."  
I sighed too. "But I'm not like another girls," I said under my breath.

It had been super dark inside the tiny, cramped shop, and as we walked out the front door the bright, harsh sunlight hit my right in the face, causing me to stagger backwards and drop two of the bags I was holding.

I blinked several times, trying to get accustom to the light, and that's when I saw them, standing right across from me. Two teenage boys about seventeen, my age, deep in conversation. The one on the right, a common village boy who often tried in vain to get my best friend's attention, was of no significance, but the one of the left…

And then right at that moment, as if he could feel my gaze on him, he looked up. His eyes were staring right at me, dark hazel eyes that seemed so familiar… even though I was sure I'd never seen him before in my life.

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**Oooo, who is he? Please review!**


	3. Who is he?

**Ooookayyy…. Here's Chapter Three. **

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**Mikayla's POV**

As quickly as he'd looked at me, he looked away again. But I kept staring at him. Yes, staring. I couldn't seem to tear my eyes away… I took in the rest of his appearance: shaggy dark hair, average height, average build… Super cute. If he was a village boy, why hadn't I noticed him before? Why hadn't I ever _seen _him before? I didn't know. But there was one thing I _did _know, for certain. I had to get out of here before my legs turned to jelly.

"Candis," I said weakly. "I need to go home. NOW."

She was busy reapplying her lip gloss. "Why? We have at least two more hours till dark. We're suppose to spend all day together, remember? Having girl time?"  
"Forget girl time, this is an emergency," I said. I could feel my legs starting to tremble. Ugh, _so _embarrassing. "There's something I have to tell you. But not here."  
"Oooo, a secret," she squealed. "I'm in! Let's go." She tucked the tube of gloss back into her purse, grabbed my arm, and started to maneuver me out of the square.

As soon as the stranger was out of sight, I could walk normally again. The two of us hurried to the edge of the forest, where Candis pulled me behind a tree and hissed, "Okay, now spill."

"Did you see that guy back there?" I asked, trying hard to keep my voice from shaking.

She frowned. "Alan? Yeah. But he's nothing special."

"Not Alan. The other one, the dark-haired one."

She started twirling a strand of blonde hair around her finger, something she always did when she was thinking back. "Yes…" She said slowly.

"Do you know him?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Nope. He's a cutie, though, I wish I did." She sighed wistfully. "But what about him, Mikayla?"  
"Well, when we were coming out of Aubergine, he was standing right across from us, he looked up at me, and our eyes met." I paused to take a deep breath, then went on. "I've never seen him before in my life, I swear. But his eyes… they were so familiar. Almost like I'd met him before, like maybe we'd even use to be friends. But that's impossible… right?"

"Maybe you really haven't met him before, but you feel like you already know him because he's your soul mate," Candis suggested, her blue eyes lighting up like they always did when she was giving relationship advice. "That's how it is with soul mates, you know. You've never met, but you instantly feel that connection, like you've known each other your entire lives."

I shook my head in disgust. "He's not my soul mate, Candis. There's no such thing."

"Yes there is!" She cried defensively. "And he's yours! Oh, I can already tell you two are perfect for each other! You'll make the most adorable couple! You're going to be together forever!"

I rolled my eyes. "Seriously Candis. He is _not _my soul mate."

"So you're saying you _don't _have a crush on him?" She asked slyly.

"No," I said, though I'm not sure if that's true. But it can't be, I can't have a crush on someone I've never even talked to before, can I? Even if I _do _get the feeling I've met him before.

"Are you sure?" She asked, giving me a Look. Not just any Look, but a Candis Look. Those have been known to kill. Or get the super juicy gossip out of unwilling bearers, like me. Normally the latter.

"Yeah," I lied. "Very sure."

She sighed, but it wasn't a disappointed sigh. She knew she'd get it out of me someday. And she probably would, but not today.

We sat there in silence for a few minutes, until finally Candis said, "So… do you want to come to the beach with me, since we finished shopping early? Or do you want to go home?"

I did want to go home, but I knew how much Candis had looked forward to us hanging out. "No, let's go to the beach. We still have some girl time left."

She beamed. "Okay, come on then, girlfriend."

We spent the next two hours on the beach, checking out cute guys. Well, Candis was checking out cute guys. I, on the other hand, couldn't stop thinking about that boy. I looked for him on the beach, but he wasn't there. I was tempted to go back to the square, but I couldn't leave Candis and there was no way I was taking her with me, not after I'd just denied having a crush on the guy. So I just decided on saying, "Yeah, he is," whenever Candis asked if I thought a specific boy was cute. It seemed to work, and before I knew it the sun had started to set and we were heading back down the dirt path through the jungle to my hut.

"Well, that was some _very _successful girl time, in my opinion," Candis said happily.

I nodded absently, still thinking about the boy. Why were those eyes so familiar? The question kept on torturing me.

Unfortunately, she noticed I wasn't really paying attention to her. "You're still thinking about that boy, aren't you?" She asked.

"What? No," I said. "Of course not."

She looped her arm through mine. "Oh Mikayla, you can't fool me. But don't worry, I'll find out who he is and then you two can get together!"

"I don't want to get together with him," I said, irritated.

"Of course not, honey," she said, knowing it was no good arguing with me. "But you do want to know who he is, don't you?"

I couldn't deny that. "Yeah, I do."

"Okay then," she said. "So don't stress over it, alight?"

"I'll try not to," I said.

"Good, worry lines do _awful _things to your skin."

I repressed a giggle. Most of the time her obsession with appearance was rather annoying, but occasionally it could be pretty funny.

We finally arrived at the hut, where I turned around and gave my best friend a hug. "Thanks, Candis. I had a lot of fun." That wasn't entirely true, but I wasn't going to say that, of course.

"Me too," she said, beaming. "I'll see you soon, Mikayla."

"Okay," I said. I stood on the front doorstep, watching her as she made her way down the long dirt road, until finally she'd disappeared from sight.

"Mikayla, is that you?" My aunt's voice called from the bedroom.

"Yes Aunt Ethel!" I answered, pulling off my satchel and hanging it up.

"Are you hungry?" she asked, coming in. "I made stew." She stopped and frowned at me. "Are you alright, Mikayla? You look worried about something."

"No, no, I'm fine," I said quickly, forcing a smile. "I'm okay, Aunt Ethel."

"Well then, come eat some stew," she said, bustling over to the stove and ladling out a bowl of the stew. "Maybe you're just hungry. You do look a bit peckish."

I sat down and began to eat.

My aunt sat across from me with her own bowl of stew. "How was "Girl Time" with Candis?"

"It was good," I said.

"Lots of shopping?" She asked, sounding amused.

I nodded.

She laughed. "That Candis is a character, isn't she? Just like her mother was." Aunt Ethel has known everyone in the village since they were babies, practically. Except maybe the elders. She's not _that _old.

"Am I like my mom?" I asked curiously. "Or my dad?"

"Definitely like your mom," she said, smiling. "I don't really see any similarities between you and your dad, except for your strange love of machetes. No, you're just like Eliana."

"Is that why Dad doesn't live with us? Because I remind him of Mom?" I asked.

She shook her head. "No. It has nothing to do with you, Mikayla."

"Okay, good." I got up and put my plate in the sink. "I'm going to go to bed now. I'm pretty tired."

"Alright, goodnight dear."

"Goodnight."

It took forever for me to fall asleep that night. And it wasn't just the boy who was bothering me now. It was my mom. Was I really just like her? And if I was, was that the reason my dad was away from us so much? No matter what Aunt Ethel said, I couldn't help but think that was the real reason.

~XXX~

"Mikayla! Mikayla! Mikayla!"

I flung open the hut's front door. "What, Candis? What's wrong?"

She ran up the steps and grabbed both my hands. "I found out who that boy is!"

It had been three days since I'd seen him in the square, and I'd almost forgotten about him. But when she mentioned him it all came back.

"Really? Who is he?"

She squeezed my hands. "Omigosh, Mikayla, he's Brady Parker! One of the the triplet kings! Your soul mate is one of the kings!"

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**Guys, I am SO excited about this story! I'm so glad I stayed on FanFiction, I love writing this story! Anyways, review…**


	4. What?

**This chapter is backtracking ****_just _****a bit, sorry about that…..**

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**Brady's POV**

"So you can clearly see, there will be longterm ramifications, and the effects of global warming will be felt centuries in the future," Alan finished earnestly, then looked expectantly at me, waiting for a response.

"Uhhhhhh," I said, trying desperately to think of something to say. Unfortunately, I hadn't understood a single word he'd just said. See, being a king, I'm not really very familiar with the ordinary village people, but even _I _had known about Alan, the smartest, nerdiest person on the entire island. And it had been just my luck to run into him on my first visit to the village (aside from "public appearances). Now he was boring my ear off talking about something called "global warming", whatever that was, and I couldn't think of one single good excuse to get away from him.

Apparently Alan had taken my overlong silence as confirmation that I agreed with him, because without waiting any longer for a response, he launched deeper into the issues of this "global warming", which seemed to be his favorite subject. I vaguely remembered one of my middle school teachers mentioning "global warming" during one of his extremely boring lectures about the environment, but I couldn't remember anything he'd said, so I decided to tune Alan out and then play dumb, which is exactly pretty easy, since I actually am dumb.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw two people (probably female, judging by the store) coming out of _Aubedee_ or _Auberbeen _or whatever it was called, that new boutique everyone was raving about. They both stopped, and, you might call me crazy, but I felt one of those people watching me. I could practically feel their eyes boring into me. It's not a nice feeling. It's actually pretty creepy. But, and this is actually the crazy part, instead of wanting to run away like I normally would, I felt almost… _pulled _by that person's gaze. Like I _needed _to meet that gaze.

I'm not really the type of guy who really thinks about what he does before he does it, so naturally as soon as those thoughts ran through my head, I looked up.

My eyes took them in immediately. They were standing right across the street from me, two teenage girls, about seventeen. The one on the right was wearing super high high heels and _way _too much make-up, a typical ditzy blonde. She looked like she was way too absorbed in whatever was on her cell phone screen to have been the one looking at me. But the girl on the right… the one carrying about a million shopping bags, she was staring straight at me. Our eyes met for a just a second, and I felt something like an electric shock run through my body. Her chocolatey-brown eyes looked so familiar… and yet I was positive I'd never seen her before in my life. Why did I recognize those eyes, and _only _those eyes?

And then that second ended, and Alan had pulled me back into the conversation. I tried to converse with him, but what had just happened with that girl… it had really shaken me up, and a few minutes later I finally made my escape.

"Alan, I would love to talk more about this, uh, _fascinating _subject with you," I said, flashing him one big "king smiles". "Unfortunately, I have some _very _important king business to attend to back at the castle, so I'll have to catch you later…" I slowly, casually started to walk away.

"So we can definitely discuss this later?" Alan asked brightly.

"Ummm…" I stopped walking, cornered. "Sure, uh-huh, we'll do that. Okay, bye…"

"Goodbye, King Brady," he said, giving me a quick bow and leaving.

The two girls were already gone by the time I'd left Alan, so there was no chance of talking to that girl, something I wasn't sure if I should be disappointed or relieved about. I stood there for a few minutes after Alan had left, thinking about her. Who was she? Why did I feel like I knew her when I'd never seen her before? Had we been friends when we were little and I'd forgotten her until now? If my parents were still alive I could ask them, but they were gone.

I mulled over the possibilities for a few minutes, then chose to just put it out of my mind All this _thinking _could… I don't know… make me smart or something. And that would be _very _bad. I have a reputation as the dumb king, and I don't want anything to ruin that. So I decided to go back to the castle. I'd forgotten why I'd come here anyways.

~XXX~

"Brady, I have to talk to you about something," our head advisor, Mason, said as I came into the Throne Room.

"What is it Mason? If it's bad news, I don't want to hear it. I just had to listen to almost half an hour of nerdiness, and I can only take so much bad stuff in one day," I said, flopping down on the couch.

"This is something you need to know," Mason said.

I groaned. "Fine! Lay it on me."

"You are the oldest triplet," he told me.

"What?! Sweet! I always knew I was the best," I said, sitting up and grinning confidently.

"You are the _oldest_, not the _best_," Mason said, frowning at me.

I waved that away. "Whatever. Wait, how do you know this? You told us when you brought us here the knowledge of who was born first was lost with our parents."

"I lied. I have always known it was you who was born first."

I frowned. "So, I'm going to be the only king now?"

"Yes, on one condition."

"Sweet! What's the condition?"

"You must marry the girl your parents chose for you," he said gravely.

"What? I have to have an _arranged marriage _in order to get the throne that is rightfully mine?"

"That is correct."

"But… that's not fair! What happens if I don't agree to the marriage?"

"You are banished from this island forever and Boz rules in your place."

"So I'm being forced?" I said, horrified.

"No, you have a choice."

"Some choice!" I yelled, jumping to my feet. "You're really going to make me marry someone I've never met?"

"It was your parents' wish," Mason said, his voice showing no emotion.

I wanted to throw something. "I don't care! I hate them, and you."

"You will marry her, and that is final," Mason said firmly, and I knew then there was no arguing with him. I was going to marry someone I'd never met. I had no choice.

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**Okay, there's some Brady's POV for y'all. Now please review!**


	5. Sneaking & Spying

**So sorry about the delay!**

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**Mikayla's POV**

"I'm still not sure about this, Candis," I hissed.

"It'll be fine, stop stressing!" She hissed back.

I tugged at the hem of my borrowed blue-green servant's dress. "I don't think I can pull this off," I whispered. "I've never been a very good actress."

"You'll be _fine_," she said. "Don't sweat it, Mikayla."

But I couldn't help it. "I don't want to go through with this," I said frantically, starting to hyperventilate.

"Do you want to see him again or not?" She demanded.

"Yeah, but I don't want to _spy _on him! What if we get caught?"

"We _won't _get caught! Just come _on_!"

We were hiding in the bushes bordering the courtyard, both dressed as castle servants. It's a long story, but basically when I heard that boy was King Brady, I totally freaked out….

_Flashback Begins_

My mouth dropped open. My mind immediately began to race, a million things suddenly running through my head. _The king? But he can't be! _

Aloud, I said, "Are you serious?"

She nodded, her blue eyes wide. "Totally serious. OMG Mikayla, you have a thing for the king!"

Normally I'd roll my eyes at the extreme lameness of what she'd just said, but right now I was too wired. That guy I'd seen was one of the famed triplet kings of of the _kings _of _legend_. And we'd had a connection, I _know _we had. But I couldn't figure it out. It was all way too bizarre.

"So," I finally managed to get out. "We know who he is. What do we do know?"

She smiled at me, a smile that I instantly distrusted.

"Candis…" I said, feeling suddenly nervous. "What are you planning?"

Her smile widened. "I think we need to get to know King Brady a bit better."

_Flashback Ends_

So that's how I ended up hiding in these bushes, dressed like a castle servant. It turns out Candis's "brilliant plan" turned out to be disguising ourselves as castle servants so we could sneak in to the castle and see King Brady again. Typical Candis. Sometimes I really think there's nothing going on up in that blonde head of hers.

"Okay Mikayla, it's go time!" Candis said, grabbing my hand. "Are you ready?"

"Are you kidding me? No!" I exclaimed, yanking my hand out of hers.

She grabbed my hand again. "Well I don't care."

I groaned.

"Do you think I want to do this?" She demanded, standing up and trying to pull me up with her. I stayed on the ground. "He's _your _soul mate. We're doing this for _you_, not me."

"For me? This was your idea!"

"True, but it's for _your _benefit, not mine! All _I'm _getting out of this is my best friend's happiness. Which we are going to get, so _come on_!"

I was getting tired of arguing. "Fine, I'll come. Just pull me up."

Smiling smugly, she grabbed my other hand and pulled me to my feet. Once I was standing, she started barking orders at me. I swear, my best friend could be a drill sergeant.

"Okay, we're splitting up now," she said. "Do you know what to do?"

"Yes, find King Brady and see if we have that connection again," I rattled off tonelessly. I'd heard this plan so many times over the past week since she'd come up with it that I had it memorized. I had it WAY more than memorized it. It was pretty much burned into my memory by now.

"Perfect. And I'll go find his room and search it."

"I still think that's considered "breaking and entering"," I said, crossing my arms and giving her a Look.

She waved that away with her hand. "No it's not. I'm a servant, remember? I'm just cleaning it."

I shook my head. "Oh my gosh, Candis."

"Again, doing this for you," she reminded me. "Would I volunteer to go through his underwear if I didn't love you?"

"Ewww, Candis! Don't go through his underwear!" I shrieked.

"Shut up, they can hear you," she said. "Of course I won't go through his underwear."

I didn't believe her. "Whatever. I still think splitting up is a bad idea."

"You'll be fine, sweetheart. Now remember, we're meeting back here, okay?"

"Why do I get the horrible feeling you've done this before?" I asked.

She ignored me. "Good luck! See you soon!" And with that, she disappeared through the huge wooden front door.

"Ugh, Candis!" I muttered under my breath. I stood there for a minute collecting myself, then decided I should really get going. We'd spent so much time arguing that it was getting late. Except I didn't really know what I was suppose to be doing. Well, I knew I was suppose to find King Brady, but until I could locate him, I'd need to act like a servant. Not that that's below me! But I just wasn't really sure how to do that…

"You!"

I whirled around to see who had addressed me.

It was a older woman, wearing the same sort of dress as me, except with silver embroidery around the cuffs and neckline. She had iron-gray hair pulled tightly back into a bun and a stern expression.

"You," she said again. "Come help me with the kings' laundry."

"Ohhhh-kay," I said slowly.

She raised her eyebrows.

"I meant, yes ma'am," I said, suddenly conscious of my mistake. "Sorry ma'am."

"Hmmm." She was still disapproving. "Come with me then."

I followed her out of the courtyard and into the laundry room, where a mountain of clean clothes were waiting for us.

"Wow," I said, unable to stop myself.

"It's no more than always," she said, raising an eyebrow. I was obviously making her very suspicious.

I lowered my eyes to the clothes and began to fold. The next almost hour passed in absolute silence as the two of us folded the pile of clothes, neither one of us making any sound.

When we were finally done, the woman loaded the clothes into baskets and handed me one.

"Here's the kings' advisor's. Put it away in his dresser, you know where his room is."

Thankfully, I _did _know where my dad's room was, since I'd come here once or twice to visit him when I was younger. I immediately sped off to put the clothes away.

Unfortunately, I was so intent on my destination that I didn't really look where I was going, and so of course, I bumped into someone and crashed to the ground, sending the basket and the clothes in it flying.

"Oh, I'm sorry," a boy's voice said.

Startled, I looked up. Standing over me was the boy I'd seen in the square, looking down at me with those dreamy hazel eyes. I could see surprise and recognition in his eyes. He remembered that day too. Maybe he'd forgotten it till now, but he definitely remembered!

I could feel my heart pounding against my chest like a wild animals trying to break free. "It's… it's okay…" I stuttered.

He was already kneeling on the floor, collecting the clean clothes.

"No, I got it," I said, starting to gather them up too.

"It's fine," he said, smiling at me.

I felt a shiver of pleasure run down my spine. I smiled back.

We cleaned up the clothes together, then he held the basket as I stood up.

"Here." He held it out to me. "I'm King Brady. What's your name?"

"Mikayla, Your Majesty," I said, taking it from him. "Thank you."

"No problem." He smiled at me again. "I'll see you around, Mikayla."

I almost fainted, but I managed to stay standing until he'd walked away. After that I rushed through the rest of the laundry and hurried to the plaza to meet Candis.

She was already waiting for me, her cheeks pink and flushed.

_That's weird_, I thought._ What's up with her? _

"Are you ready?" She asked me, sounding rather breathless.  
"Yeah," I answered, feeling kind of breathless myself. "Let's go."

"So what did you find?" I asked her on the way back to the hut.

"I found his room. Don't worry, I didn't go through your future husband's underwear. But I found this." She held out a piece of notepaper covered in writing.

I took it. "What is it?"

"Looks like an unfinished song about a boy who fell in love with a girl at first sight and never saw her again, but he'll always be looking for her."

"Oh my gosh," I said, looking at it. She was right. "This is so sweet!"

"I know, right?" She exclaimed. "He it totally in love with you!"

I felt my cheeks get hot.

"So did you run into him?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I did. Literally. And I felt it again. The connection."

"I knew you would," she said smugly. "Now it's time for Phase Two."

"What's Phase Two?"

"You'll see."

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**Please review!**


	6. Back to the Present

**Present Time**

**Brooklyn's POV**

My mom paused to take a breath, and Wendy broke in excitedly.

"What was Phase Two, Aunt Mikayla?" She asked, leaning forward.

My mom opened her mouth to answer, but right then Aunt Rebecca walked in from the kitchen.

"Dinner is served," she announced.

Maxum let out an audible sigh of relief. "_Finally_. I thought I'd actually have to hear the end of that. I bet there was going to be kissing. Yuck!"

I rolled my eyes at him. _Little brothers_. They could be _so _annoying sometimes. Not to mention immature.

"I actually liked that story," Wendy said, a little sadly.

My mom smiled and leaned down to pat her knee. "Don't worry, dear, I'll tell you the rest later. But maybe to just the girls." She winked at us.

"Good. Cause if I have to hear any more of that, I think I might puke," Maxum said. "Now, men, to the dining room!"  
"What men?" I asked. "Where's your army?"

"Doc, Logan, and Gabe are my army," he said. He didn't say _duh_, butI could hear it in his tone.

"Not much of an army," I muttered. Seriously, my eleven, nine, and seven-year old boy cousins did _not _make a very impressive army. By _any _standards.

Wendy laughed.

Maxum ignored me and led his "army" to the dining room ahead of us. We all filed in after them and took our seats.

Normally at dinners like this we were all suppose to sit with our families, but I _really _didn't want to sit next to Maxum, and I _know _Wendy wanted to avoid Alice, so my mom let us sit wherever we wanted. The two of us decided to take our seats next to Uncle Boz, who smiled at us warmly and tugged Wendy's ponytail.

"How are you girls doing?" He asked.

"Fine," Wendy said, shrugging. She never showed much enthusiasm for anything around her parents. I had no idea why. I let my parents know when I was excited about something, sometimes to the point that I even annoyed them. I don't know why she held back from them. She certainly didn't hold back from anyone else, even her aunts and uncles. It was really weird… But I knew better than to ask her about it.

"Surfing was awesome!" I said brightly, trying to make conversation.

Uncle Boz smiled gratefully at me. "Oh really? That sounds awesome! Did you have fun, Wendy?"  
She shrugged again. "Sure, it was okay."

I frowned at my cousin. I know she'd had a _blast_ out there surfing, so why wasn't she showing any excitement or anything around her dad?

I saw Uncle Boz's face fall at his daughter's response. "Oh, well I'm glad you had fun," he said, turning back to his dinner, looking a little bit upset.  
I glared at Wendy.

The power of my gaze made her look up from her meal. "What?" She asked defensively.

I just shook my head and turned to start a conversation with Aunt Rebecca, who was sitting on my other side. I really didn't want to talk to my cousin right now.

~XXX~

"What were you glaring at me for at dinner?" Wendy asked me as we were getting ready for bed. Alice, standing next to us, had her headphones on and couldn't hear a word we were saying.

"Why do you act like that around your parents?" I demanded. "Yeah, I get that your mom is kind of annoying, but can't you see your dad is trying to connect with you?"

She lifted a shoulder, not meeting my eyes. "Yeah, I know. But it's just really hard for me to do that. My parents aren't like yours."

"Hey, my parents aren't perfect either," I said, yanking my pajama shirt over my head. "But they're still my parents, and I know they love me. And your parents love you too."

She kept her gaze focused on the ground. "It's just hard, growing up alone in the castle over there with no one but my mom and Alice for company. At least you have way more kids here."

I gave a dry laugh. "Yeah, Maxum and his "army" are _wonderful _company."

She laughed too. "Okay, maybe you don't have it so great either."

"Why don't hang out with your dad?" I asked. "He's super nice."

"I don't know…" She said slowly. "I guess I never even considered that."

"Well I think you should," I said. "Alice is your mom's girl, so why don't you be your dad's?"

"I guess I can try," she said dubiously. "But I don't know if it'll work."  
"Just try," I told her. "It won't hurt. I promise you."

~XXX~

The next day Uncle Boomer volunteered to take all of the boys swimming, and Aunt Rebecca offered to take Alice shopping. She asked me and Wendy if we wanted to come too, but we said no thank you. So it was just me, her, and our parents left at the castle that morning.

The two of us hung out in my room and talked for a while, then Wendy rolled over on my bed and said, "Would it be okay with you if I tried hanging out with my dad now, Brooklyn?" She asked tentatively. "Just for a little while, maybe an hour or so," she added quickly. "Then we can hang out some more?"  
"Sure, that's cool," I said, shrugging.

"Are you sure? I did come here to hang out with you, after all."

"Naw, it's okay. I don't mind."

She smiled. "Thanks."

"No problem." I smiled back.

After she left, I went downstairs to find my mom. I didn't have to look far, though. She was in the Throne Room, chatting with Aunt Candis. Okay, so hanging out with my mom wasn't an option. Not that they wouldn't let me, but I tried to keep my distance from my aunt whenever she was here. If I hung around her too long, she was sure to find _something_ wrong with me. Time for Option 2.

"Hey Mom, where's Dad?" I asked.

"Out in the courtyard," she said, not even turning in my direction.

I ran over to the huge front doors and pulled them open.

Yup, there he was, standing on the far side of the plaza, looking out at the ocean.

I walked slowly and quietly over to him. "Hey Daddy," I greeted him.

He wrapped his arm around my should and smiled down at me. "Well good morning angel. Why aren't you with Wendy?"

"She's with Uncle Boz."

"Oh, so you both want some Dad Time, huh?"

I nodded.

He smiled and tugged a strand of my light brown hair. "I'd love to, Brooklyn, but as your father is a very busy man, that'll have to wait."

I shrugged. "Okay."

He kissed the top of my head. "Good. I'll see you at dinner. I love you, sweetheart."

"Love you too," I echoed, watching him walk across the plaza and back into the castle.

~XXX~

"Wendy, Brooklyn," my mom said, sticking her head through my bedroom door. "Do you two want to hear the rest of the story now?"  
"What story?" Alice asked, looking up from her magazine.

"The story of how my parents met," I told her. "Your mom just came up with a crazy plan."

She seemed unsurprised by this. "Oooo, I want to hear the story too!"  
"Okay," my mom said, sitting down on my bed. We all sat on Wendy's camp bed facing her. "Here's what happened next…"

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**Sorry I went back to Brooklyn's POV. I'll go back to the real story next chapter. Sorry for all the delays… I am SO busy! Now please review!**


	7. The New Guard

**Eighteen Years in the Future**

**Mikayla's POV**

"Mikayla! Get the door!" I heard Aunt Ethel yell from the bedroom.

"Yes Aunt Ethel," I said obediently, getting up from the kitchen table where I'd been eating my breakfast and walking over to the front door.

"Mikayla!" Candis squealed as soon as I opened the door.

"Hi Candis…" I said tentatively. I hadn't seen her since the day we'd snuck into the castle, the day she'd said it would soon be time for Phase Two. That was about five days ago, so I guessed it was now time for the mysterious Phase Two.

"No need to look so worried," Candis giggled. "What, do you think I'm going to ask you to rob a bank or something?"

That actually wouldn't surprise me. I could totally see her doing that, if it meant it would get her a cute guy. Or maybe some designer shoes.

"What do you want then?" I asked, almost scared of the answer.

"It's time for Phase Two!" She announced, her blue eyes shining. For my best friend, that's _never _a good sign.

I groaned.

"Stop complaining!" She snapped, the dreamy sparkle gone from her eyes. "We're going for a walk, Aunt Ethel!" She called, grabbing my arm and yanking me outside.

"Alright girls! Just be back by dinner, Mikayla!" She called back.

"I will," I muttered. "Unless this lands me in jail." It could happen. With Candis, it was actually really likely. She's been arrested for getting in a huge cat fight over a pair of pumps before.

"So what's Phase Two?" I asked her as soon as we were out of sight of my hut.

She stopped walking, glanced around to see if anyone else was in hearing distance, then whispered, "We're going to abduct King Brady."

"What?!" I yelped, backing away from her.

"Shhhhh! Keep your voice down!" She hissed, grabbing my arm again.

"Candis," I breathed, coming closer again. "We can't _kidnap _the _king_."

"We're not kidnapping him, we're _abducting _him," she said.

"There's no difference!" I exclaimed.

"Shhhhh!" Her long, manicured nails dug into my arm. "Yes there is. Listen, we can just sneak into his room in the middle of the night, take him, and hold him hostage until he falls madly in love with you and you two get married."

I just shook my head. I had no words. How could she even delude herself into thinking that that would _ever _work?

"Candis," I finally got out. "That _is _kidnapping. And even if it wasn't, he's not going to fall in love with me if I abduct him."

"But… But… You two belong together," she protested. "Don't you love him? Don't you want to be with him forever?"

No, I didn't love him. No, I didn't want to be with him forever. But I had been thinking of him constantly ever since he'd turned the corner in that hallway and disappeared from sight that day in the castle… And I knew that I had to see him again.

"There has to be anther way," I breathed, leaning against a tree for support. Thinking of Brady- I mean, King Brady, was making me weak. Just thinking about him made me weak…

"What is happening to me?" I whispered, a tear slowly coursing down my cheek.

"You've fallen in love," Candis whispered back, her voice sounding all choked up.

I looked up at at her.

Her eyes were full of tears.

"Candis, are you okay?" I asked, another tear escaping. I tried to blink them back, but my vision was already blurring. I wiped them away with the back of my hand, and she came into focus again.

"I know how you feel," she said softly. "I've had it happen to me."  
"Really?" I knew she'd chased after hundreds of boys, but I didn't know she'd ever fallen in love. "Who is he?"

For a minute or two she just stared off into space, like she was remembering something from long ago, some long-lost memory she hadn't recalled it until now. Then she straightened, blinked back her tears, and said briskly, "It doesn't matter. Now, if we can't abduct him, then how are you going to see him again?"

I was pretty put off by her sudden change of mood, but I tried my best to adjust to it. "Maybe I could go visit my dad. Since he works at the castle."

She nodded. "Good plan. Let's get moving. To the castle!" She marched past me, taking the lead down the beaten path to the castle, and King Brady.

Still unsettled by my best friend's major mood change, but not wanting to dig into it, I followed her, hoping this trip would be as successful as the last one.

~XXX~

My dad was standing right in the middle of the plaza, writing something on the official-looking clipboard. He was such a sight for sore eyes! I didn't realize until we arrived in the courtyard just how much I'd missed him.

"Daddy!" I cried, running over and throwing my arms around him in a tight bear hug.

"Mikayla!" He sounded extremely surprised to see me. But pleased too.

"I missed you," I told him honestly.

"I missed you too, baby girl," he said. "But what are you doing here?"

"I missed you," I repeated. "I want to start visiting you more often. I don't see you enough."

"Baby girl, I'd love it if you visited me more, but I'm afraid you can't. No family members of staff are allowed in the castle unless they work here too. Those are the rules."

I should have known there'd be rules. I turned to Candis, searching for help.

_Stick out the lip_, she mouthed.

Okay, so it had to come to begging. I guess that was a small price to pay to see King Brady every day.

"Da-_ddy_," I pleaded, sticking out my lower lip in a classic pout. "_Pleeeeease_? I miss you _so _much!"

"I'm sorry Mikayla, but rules are rules. I don't make them, I just follow them."

I stuck out my lip a bit farther.

He shook his head. "Pouted won't work this time. It's not my decision."

Then I remembered something he'd said earlier. "What if I get a job here? Then I could see you all the time!" _And King Brady_, I thought.

"I don't know, baby girl. We don't need any more servants, we got plenty of those."

"What if you hire me as a guard? I went to fight school when I was younger, remember? I was a star student. And I know everything there is to know about weapons and battle techniques and all that stuff! I'd be a great guard." Being a guard would be _way _more fun than being a servant. I'd actually really enjoy that.

"One of our guards, Roger, did just quit," my dad said thoughtfully. "And you always were a pretty good warrior…" He pulled out his machete and handed it to me. "Show me what you can do."

I took the weapon, then turned to face the door.

My dad took an apple out of his pocket and threw it up in the air.

I swung the blade at the fruit and split it in half mid-air.

Candis immediately began to clap. "Go Mikayla!" She cheered.

I beamed at her.

"Wow, baby girl, that was pretty impressive," my dad said admiringly. "You got the job!"

"Yes!" I cried, turning to Candis excitedly. The two of us started jumping up and down in excitement.

"And now," my dad said, interrupting us. "It's time for you to meet out kings."

~XXX~

After I'd calmed Candis down, she left and my dad left my in the Throne Room.

All three kings were already there, eating popsicles. For triplets, they sure didn't look alike. One of the kings, the one sitting to King Brady's right, was about King Brady's height, but a bit chubbier and African-American. The third king was much taller than the other two, and he had red hair and freckles. There were all kind of cute, but Brady was by far the cutest. My heart skipped a little at the sight of him, sitting there eating his popsicle. They all looked up when we came in, and I saw King Brady sit up straighter when he saw me. I felt my cheeks burning, and I desperately hoped I looked okay and not a total fashion disaster.

"My kings, this is my daughter Mikayla," my dad said. "She's our new guard."

"Hi Mikayla," the other two kings said, but King Brady didn't say anything, just looked at me, smiling.

I smiled back.  
"Okay Mikayla, I had a lot of work to do, but I'm sure one of the kings can show you around," my dad said.

"I will!" King Brady said, popping up.

My dad nodded. "Okay. See you later, baby girl."

King Brady walked up to me, his hands in his pockets, and said, "So, you're Mikayla?"  
I nodded. "It's an honor to meet you, my king."

He smiled at me. "The honor is all mine."


	8. Fro-Yo

**I am SO sorry for all the late updates. I am so busy and brain-dead. I'm sorry if this chapter is awful. My next will hopefully be better. If not, I don't know what I'm gonna do. I might change this one later, but I'm in a big rush, so this is what it is right now. **

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**Brady's POV**

I was brooding. At least, I _think _that's what I was doing, but I'm not entirely sure what that word means. If it means sitting on the couch sulking then I was _definitely _brooding. I've been sitting here _brooding _a lot these past few weeks, ever since Mason told me I had to have an arranged marriage. Not that anyone could blame me. Thanks to my dead parents' wish, I was now engaged to a girl I'd never met before. I didn't even know her name! I didn't know her name, where she was from, what she looked like, or even when the wedding was going to be, all thanks to Mason, who refused to tell me _anything_. And worst of all, thanks to this whole thing, I was now pretty much always in a really bad mood, which was really depressing, since I'm normally a pretty upbeat person. But now here I was, brooding of the unfairness of life.

The door from the plaza swung open and Mason entered.

"What's her name?" I demanded immediately. I had been trying this for the past week, hoping I'd catch him off guard and get him to answer, but so far I'd had no such luck.

I didn't have any luck today either, apparently.

"Not going to tell you," Mason said cheerfully. "I came to inform you that we are going to have a guest."

"A guest?" I repeated, confused.

"Yes. A young woman named Isabella from the island of Lakuna is coming to stay with us for a little while, and I want you to make her feel very welcome."  
"Uhhhhh, okay," I said, still a bit confused. "When's she coming?"  
"She'll be arriving tomorrow. Make sure you look your best." Mason disappeared through the door to the kitchen, leaving me alone to puzzle that out. Why was a girl coming to stay with us? Especially a girl me and my brothers have never met before. Was she some kind of ambassador or diplomat? And why was she coming now, so close to my wedding?

And that's when it hit me. _She _must be the girl I'm engaged to. That's why she's coming to stay with us, so we can get to know each other before we get… married. The thought of my marriage instantly depressed me, but I didn't really feel like going back to brooding, so I decided to go on a walk instead. I knew my brothers were probably playing pool upstairs and would want me to join them, but I really needed some fresh air after being inside so much. Mason had left the door from the plaza open, so I stepped through it out into the bright, warm sunlight. The plaza was deserted. I walked over to the path overlooking the ocean, sat down on the ledge, and closed my eyes. The quiet sounds of the ocean lapping up on the rocks helped calm my nerves a bit, but I couldn't shut off my brain, so I couldn't stop thinking about Isabella, my bride-to-be.

"King Brady, are you okay?"

My eyes popped open. Our new guard, Mikayla, was standing across from me, looking worried.

"What? Yeah," I said, my hand automatically flying up to flatten my hair. "Yeah, I'm… good."

"Are you sure? You looked kind of upset about something." Those brown eyes still looked so familiar, even though I couldn't remember where I knew her from.

"Oh." I decided to tell her what was bugging me. I had to talk to someone about it, and something was telling me Mikayla would be the perfect person to talk to. "I guess I'm just upset about my engagement."

She frowned. "Your what?"

"My engagement." I thought everyone knew about it. "Before they died, my parents set up an arranged marriage for me," I explained.

"An arranged marriage?" She repeated, looking like I'd just hit her in the nose with a frying pan or something.

"Yeah," I said gloomily. "Your dad won't tell me who I'm engaged to, but a girl from Lakuna named Isabella is coming to stay here tomorrow, so I guess she's the one."

"Wow." She sat down next to me. "So, you were basically forced into this? You couldn't've said no?"

I shook my head, then stopped mid-shake. "Weeeelllllll, I could have. But then I'd have been banished from Kinkow forever and Boz would rule in my place."

"Oh." She was fell silent.

We sat there, only about a foot apart, and just stayed quiet for a while, just thinking.

Finally she stood up and turned to me. "Hey, how about a fro yo?"

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Do you want to go into the village and get a frozen yogurt or something? To, you know, take your mind off all this stuff?" She asked.

"Go with you?" I asked.

She nodded, then said quickly, "Well, only if you want to."

"Okay," I said. "That sounds like fun. Can my brothers come?"  
She shrugged. "If you want." But I thought I saw her face fall a little bit. That was weird. But I didn't want her to be upset of anything.

"On second thought, I'd rather go without them," I said.

Her brown eyes lit up and she smiled warmly at me. "Okay. Works for me."

I smiled back. "Yeah, me too."

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**Please review. I know it was lame and cheesy, please just bear with me. **


	9. Isabella

**Mikayla's POV**

_Beep! Beep! Beep! _

"Shut up," I moaned, rolling over and pulling the covers up over my ears.

But of course, being an alarm clock, it _didn't _shut up, so I had to shove down my covers and sit up to turn it off. And by the time I'd found the off button, I was too wide awake to drift off again. Not that I could've gone back to sleep anyways. The whole castle was working their butts off to get this place in shape by the time Isabella got here this afternoon, and part of my job was helping make sure everything got done. So I resignedly swung my legs over the side of the bed and got up to go get dressed.

"Why couldn't she have told us she was coming at least a week in advance?" I muttered to myself as I pulled on shorts and a floral top. "Instead of sending a message the day before? How fast does she expect us to work to make this place nice for her? Does she think we're elves or something?"

I yanked a brush through my hair, sward on some lip gloss, and ran downstairs to find my dad.

He was in the kitchen, eating a cinnamon roll and looking over a long list of some sort.

"Hi daddy," I said, leaning down to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Are there any of those left for me?"

He looked up from his list and beamed at me. "Good morning baby girl! How are you doing?" Then without waiting for an answer he pointed over to a plate of the yummy-looking cinnamon rolls sitting on the counter over by pantry.

I walked over to them and grabbed one, then turned to face my dad again. "What do you need me to do to help get ready for Isabella?"

He scanned his list, searching for a job for me. "You can go wake up King Boomer and King Boz. They're still asleep and they need to start getting ready."

I'd taken a huge bit of cinnamon roll as he'd been talking, so I had to swallow it before I could respond. Finally I said, "What about King Brady?"

"He's already awake," my dad said absently, turning his attention back to the list. "He's been up for hours."

"Why is he stressing so much about her coming to stay here?" I asked. I mean, I was stressed too. Who would not be after hearing that speech the head housekeeper gave all the staff about how this place had to be positively spotless for Isabella's arrival? But King Brady had seemed especially anxious ever since he'd heard she was coming, and I couldn't figure out why.

"I expect he's just worried Kinkow won't look up to stock. He is the king, after all. This is his island and I'm sure he's just afraid an outsider might be unimpressed by us. I would be, if I was king."

"Yeah, I guess that could be it…" I said thoughtfully, taking another bite of cinnamon roll. "But then why aren't the other two as stressed out?"

My dad wasn't really paying attention to me anymore. "I don't know, Mikayla. Just please go wake them up and make them get dressed."

"Fine," I said, reluctantly setting down my breakfast and hurrying to do as he'd instructed.

"King Boomer! King Boz!" I yelled from the doorway of their bedroom. The two of them shared a room, and King Brady's was next door. "Time to get ready! Isabella will be here soon!"

"I don't care," King Boomer moaned, rolling over and pulling up the covers just like I'd done earlier.

"Go away," King Boz groaned, curling into a ball and putting his hands over his ears.

"There's no getting out of this," I said, walking over to the window and yanking the curtains open, flooding the room with bright sunlight.

"My eyes!" King Boz shrieked, moving his hands to cover his eyes instead.

"So bright!" King Boomer yelped, pulling his covers even tighter around his face.

I couldn't help rolling my eyes. How could a guy as sweet and funny and adorable as Brady have such stupid brothers? "Come on, you guys," I said, jerking King Boomer's covers down and throwing a nice polo shirt and board shorts at him. "Don't you want to meet her?"  
"Not particularly," King Boz said as I gently pulled his hands away from his eyes and handed him some deodorant.

"Of course you do," I said. "Now, I want you two to take showers and put on some _nice _clothes, okay? You need to make a good first impression."

"Why?" King Boomer wanted to know.

"Just do it," I called over my shoulder as I turned to leave. "I'll be back to check on you in a hour. You better have done what I asked by then."

I love my job. Bossing around the kings and getting to carry a machete with me wherever I go… It's pretty much an ideal occupation for me and I couldn't be happier. I think I'd want to work here even if it weren't for King Brady (though that was a _definite _plus). I just like being a guard.

~XXX~

"Okay, everybody quiet down!" My dad yelled. "She'll be here any minute!"  
It was five hours later and we were all gathered in the plaza, waiting for Isabella to arrive. Thankfully I'd been able to get both King Boomer and King Boz into reasonably decent clothes, and I had even persuaded them to take showers and put on deodorant. That feat had earned me the title of "Miracle Worker" from the kings' Royal Dresser, though it had been more of a shouting match than a miracle, I think. But at least they smelled now.

King Brady was standing next to me, looking super nervous and _super _cute. He'd showered too, and his dark hair was still wet, which for some reason made him look even more attractive than usual. I desperately hoped my purple dress and make-up were okay. I'd spent almost half an hour trying to look perfect, which was so unlike me that I'd actually stopped on the way down here and considered throwing myself into the ocean.

"Pretty nervous about Isabella coming?" I asked.

"What? Oh yeah," he said, squirming a little. His eyes were fixed on the sky, waiting for her balloon to appear.

I smiled reassuringly at him. "I'm sure it'll be fine," I said, trying to make him feel better.

He stopped looking so nervous and smiled back. "Thanks. I hope so."

Just then a tiny red balloon appeared in the sky, coming from the direction of Lakuna.

"That's her!" My dad yelled.

_Thanks for stating the obvious, daddy_, I thought. But I suddenly felt a sinking feeling in my stomach at the sight of that balloon. Though I had no idea why I'd feel this way. Sure, I hoped she'd like Kinkow, but why did I now have that awful sensation that I was about to lose something very precious to me? Like that balloon was bringing someone who was about to steal away something I didn't want to let go of?

The red balloon began to descend, finally landing in front of us. A short, bulky man hopped out as soon as it touched to ground and announced in a very high, squeaky voice, "Presenting Lady Isabella of Lakuna!" Then he scurried out of the way as a young woman climbed out of the balloon and onto the red carpet we'd laid out for her.

She looked around my age: tall, with long white-blonde hair done in a waterfall braid, and huge dark-lashed blue eyes. She was wearing a beautiful white silk dress that flowed from her shoulders all the way to the ground, and a long silver chain hung around her neck. She stood there for a minute or so, looking at us, then finally she said, in a loud, carrying voice, "Where is King Brady?"

Next to me, King Brady raised his hand. "I'm right here."

She looked him up and down, her cold blue eyes taking him all in. Then she said, her voice sounding a bit resigned now, "Well, you do look kingly enough, I suppose. Now, who is going to take my bags up to my room?"


	10. The Date

**Sorry for the delay!**

* * *

**Brady's POV **

After a servant took Isabella's bags and showed her to her room, I walked over to my brothers, who both looked irritable, stuffed into the corduroy pants and collared shirts Mikayla had made them wear.

"Hey guys," I said, grinning. "Don't you two look sharp! And…" I leaned in and took a big sniff. "You both smell like roses. Isn't that lovely."

They both glowered at me. "You're lucky she didn't get a hold of you!" Boomer said, his face flushed in embarrassment. "Then you'd look like us!"

I couldn't help thinking I wouldn't mind if Mikayla got a hold of me. But out loud I said, "Oh yeah? Well she didn't. Cause I'm just _that _good. Boom boom pow!"

That just made their glowers deeper, so I decided to change the subject. "Soooo, what do you guys think of Isabella?"

The glower melted from Boomer's face, quickly replaced with a dreamy expression. "She's so hot," he said, sounding lovestruck.

I raised my eyebrows at Boz, who shrugged. "I thought she was pretty rude, personally," he said.

I nodded. "Yeah. Stuck-up, too."

Boomer stopped looking dreamy and started looking indignant. "Excuse me, but she is not stuck-up. She's just classy, like me."

My eyebrows shot up so high they almost disappeared into my hair. So did Boz's. "Uhh, o-kay, sure, Boom," I said, clapping him on the shoulder. "You just keep thinking that."

"Yeah…" Boz echoed. "Hey Brady, do you want to go…"  
"Yes," I said immediately. "Let's go… yeah."

And, leaving a very confused Boomer behind, the two of us hurried out of the plaza as fast as our legs would go.

~XXX~

Free of our lovesick triplet brother, Boz and I spent the afternoon hanging around the village, pigging out on fro-yo and throwing our royal weight around. Closer to dinnertime, we ran into a extremely chatty blonde girl I remembered seeing with Mikayla before. It seemed like she'd already met Boz, and the two of them talked for almost half and hour until I finally interrupted and said we needed to head back to the castle. Was it just me or did they take longer than they should to say goodbye? By the time we got back, though, dinner had already been served, so we had to eat in the kitchen.

"I bet Boomer was really kissing up to Isabella during dinner," Boz said as we devoured leftover Chicken Parmesan and white rice at the kitchen table.

One of the maids, who'd been walking by right then, stopped at Boz's comment and said, "Excuse me, King Boz, but Lady Isabella wasn't at dinner. She had it brought to her room instead."

I frowned. "Why would she do that?"  
The maid just shrugged and started walking again.

"I bet she was just tired," Boz told me.

"Maybe…" I said. _Or maybe she's just a spoiled princess_, I thought. But I didn't say that out loud.

~XXX~

"Brady," Mason said, coming into the Throne Room from the plaza.

I glanced up at him, glared, then looked down again. I'd been giving him the silent treatment ever since he'd told me Isabella was coming to stay with us.

But I'm pretty sure Mason hadn't picked up on that yet, because he just kept talking. "Brady, Isabella hasn't come out of her room since she arrived yesterday. Can you please go up there and talk to her?"

I've never been very good at the silent treatment. "What do you want me to say?" I asked, still not looking up at him.

"I don't know… ask her to dinner, or out on a walk, or _something_. Just get her to come out. Please, Brady."

I sighed as loudly as I could. "Okay, _fine_. I'll do it."

"Thank you," Mason said, smiling at me.

I glared back.

After he left the room, I got up and ran up the stairs to our best guest room, where Isabella was staying. I stopped right in front of the door, flattened my hair with my hand, looked down to make sure my black shorts and blue t-shirt was stain-free, then rapped loudly on the door.

There was silence on the other side of the door for about thirty seconds, then I heard that loud, carrying voice say, "Enter."

I turned the doorknob and the door swung open.

At first glance, the room was completely empty. It looked exactly the way it had looked before she'd arrived, there was no luggage, no personal items, nothing. And no Isabella, either.

"Isabella?" I called softly, peering around for her.

"I am right here, King Brady."

I spun around. She was standing by the window, looking out at the ocean, but when I came in, she turned to face me. She looked pretty much the same as yesterday, except her long hair was in one loose braid instead of a waterfall braid, and she was wearing a light blue silk robe. But the long silver chain still hung around her neck.

"King Brady, what a pleasant surprise," she said. But she didn't look at all pleased to see me. Her blue eyes were cold, hard, and unwelcoming.

I fought the urge to run all the way home to Chicago. "Uh… hey Isabella. I was just wondering if you wanted to have dinner with me tonight…"

"Are you asking me on a date?" She asked coldly, arching an eyebrow.

"Well, I wouldn't exactly call it a _date_…"

"I accept," she said, still coldly. "But you'll have to dress better than that. You are a king, not a common peasant. You must show some level of dignity." She gave my outfit a dirty look, as if it'd offended her.

"But, I like how I dress," I said.

"Well I don't. And as I am your future wife, it is _my _opinion that matters, not yours."

I started backing away. "Okay, I'll try to dress better. And I'll pick you up at six for dinner. Bye…." And I bolted. I literally ran for my life.

_Yeesh, if that's what she's like when I'm asking out _**_for_**_ a date, I wonder what she'll be like _**_on_**_ the date. _

~XXX~

"Who died?"

I turned around. Mikayla was standing in the doorway to my bedroom, grinning at me.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You're wearing a _suit_," she said. "And a bow-tie."

"Yes I am," I said, turning back to the mirror and adjusting it.

"Exactly. So who died?"

If I hadn't been facing a date with Isabella, which was destined to go badly, that would've made me laugh. "No one. Actually, I have a date."  
Was it just my imagination, or did a shadow cross her face as I said that? "A date," she repeated. "With Isabella?"  
"Yeah, your dad told me to invite her to dinner," I said, now trying to flatten my hair. "But I'm not looking forward to it or anything. In fact, Isabella kind of freaks me out."

Mikayla looked relieved. "She's not very friendly," she agreed.

"When I invited her, she told me I needed to start dressing like a king, not a commoner. She said I need to show 'dignity', whatever that means," I said.

Her mouth dropped open in disbelief. "She _didn't_!"

"She did."

"That is _so _rude! There's nothing wrong with how you dress."  
I smiled at her. "Thanks, Mikayla."  
She blushed and smiled back. "No problem."

I finished fixing my hair and picked up the flowers Mason had given me to give Isabella. "Okay, here I go. To my doom," I joked.

She smiled again, but this time it seemed forced. "Have fun."

I walked up the steps to the doorway, then turned and saluted her.

Her smile became real and widened. Then she winked.

~XXX~

I found myself outside the door to Isabella's room for the second time today. I held the flowers behind my back with one hand and knocked with the other.

The door immediately swung open. "You're late," Isabella said cooly.

"You look lovely," I said, even though she didn't. Her long hair was pulled back in a french twist, and her dress was midnight blue, covered in tiny glittering diamonds. Her chain was gone as well. She looked okay, I guess, but her pale skin and light hair looked so colorless compared to Mikayla's warm brown eyes and glowing skin.

She looked me up and down, the sighed loudly. "I can't say the same for you, but at least it's an improvement."

I'm not gonna lie, that hurt. A _lot_. But I pushed the feeling away and smiled at her. "I'll try to dress better next time."

"See that you do," she said. She frowned at the flowers. "What are those?"

I held them out to her. "They're for you."

"Are they from a florist?"

"Uhhh…" I had no idea. "I don't know."

"They don't look like it. They look like wildflowers. I don't want them."

"Oh." I lowered them. "Okay."

"Now where are you taking me?" She asked wearily.

"I thought we'd go somewhere in the village," I said, holding out my arm to her.

She wrinkled her nose, but took it. "I suppose that will do," she said. "But I will not eat at some fast-food restaurant. I want the best food on the island."

I grit my teeth. "Of course."

She didn't say anything else until we got to the plaza.

"Where's the carriage?" She demanded, letting go of my arm and rounding on me.

"Carriage? What carriage?" I asked.

"How are we going to get to the village without a carriage to drive us?" She asked.

"Uhhh, we walk," I said. "That's the only transportation around here."

"Are you serious?" Her tone was as cold and sharp as a knife.

"Yes," I said. "Unless you'd rather go in the King Cruiser." It was sitting in the corner of the plaza, so I pointed at it.

She looked over at it and wrinkled her nose again. "I am _not_ going _anywhere _in that thing. I only travel by carriage."

I was losing my patience. "Well in Kinkow we walk. And if you're going to be living here for the rest of your life, you better get use to it."

If looks could kill, Isabella would have murdered me right then. "The future queen should not be made to _walk_. It is beneath me."

I wanted so badly to lose it right then. But I knew if I yelled at Isabella, she'd leave, the wedding would be called off, and I'd be sent back to Chicago. Then I'd have to leave my island, my brothers, and… Mikayla.

The thought of Mikayla cheered me up, and I managed to smile at Isabella. "I know it's not what you're use to, but could you please just walk, Isabella?"

She stuck her nose in the air and stalked off down the path to the village.

I sighed and hurried after her. When we were side by side again I held out my arm.

She made an irritated noise and took it.

We walked all the way to the village in complete silence. And except for my brief conversation with the seating host at the restaurant (true to her wishes, I took Isabella to the most expensive place on the island), neither of us said a word until we sat down.

It was probably the most uncomfortable meal of my entire life. I tried to make conversation, but Isabella was so cold and rude that it was pretty much impossible. So we just ate, paid, and then left. The walk back was even worse than the walk to the village. I could feel Isabella's disapproval practically suffocating me, even though she didn't say anything.

We finally arrived back at her room.

"Goodnight, Isabella," I said.

"I didn't have a very good time," she said bluntly.

I was taken aback. "Oh. I'm sorry."

"You should be," she said. And then she walked through the door, turned, and slammed it in my face.

* * *

**Oh, that wasn't very nice. Poor Brady :(**


	11. Eliana Makoola

**Mikayla's POV**

"Mikayla! Mikayla! Mikayla!" Candis shrieked, running towards me from across the plaza. Her face was flushed and she was panting like she'd run all the way from the village. Knowing her, she probably had.

"Wow, Candis, calm down," I said, putting my hand on her arm. "What's up?"  
"Is it true?" She demanded, her voice shrill and anxious.

"Is _what _true?" I asked. If it had been anyone else, I'd have already lost my patience, but I was used to my best friend's… well I was just use to her.

"Is King Brady really engaged to Lady Isabella? The girl visiting from Lakuna? Did they really go on a date last night?"

I didn't even ask how she'd uncovered information no one outside the royal family and castle staff was suppose to know. Gossip is like Candis's superpower. "Yes, they're engaged, and yes, they went on a date last night. But it wasn't King Brady's choice. Their parents arranged this marriage a long time ago."

"But what are we going to do?" She asked, her big blue eyes widening dramatically. "How can you two ever be together if he's engaged to marry someone else?"

I felt my stomach clench. I'd been trying to push away that thought for days. I'd thought that living here and getting to know King Brady would change my feelings for him, but it'd done just the opposite. Now that I really knew him, I liked him even _more_. He was kind, funny (though admittedly a bit of a goofball), thoughtful, and just…wonderful. I didn't want to lose him. Especially not to a witch like Isabella.

"I don't know," I said dully. "But there's nothing we can do."  
"Of _course _there is!" Candis exclaimed. "We just don't have a plan yet! We don't have a Phase Three."  
I groaned.

She ignored me. "Okay, so, let's see. We could always-"

"Candis," I interrupted her. "Give it up. There's no way around this. There's nothing we can do to stop it." A painful lump swelled in my throat as I said those words. I could feel the tears coming.

"Oh honey." Candis saw my tear-filled eyes. "Come here."

I fell into her open arms and closed my eyes, wishing I could stay in my best friend's embrace forever. A tear ran down my cheek.

"I'm here for you," Candis whispered. "I'm always here for you."

"Thank you," I whispered back.

We stayed like that for a few minutes, just holding each other, until I finally had to pull away.

"I have to go, I have stuff I need to do," I said, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. "But… thanks, Candis. Thanks a lot. And we'll hang out soon, I promise."

She smiled. "Okay, sounds good. Hey, can I hang out here for a while?" She looked kind of nervous about asking the question.

"Sure, but why would you want to?" I asked, confused.

"No reason!" She said quickly. "I just like it here, is all."

"Oh-kay," I said, still confused. "See you later, Candis."  
"Bye." She smiled again.

"What is up with her?" I muttered under my breath as I headed to my dad's room. First thing on the list of things I had to do was sharpen all the swords in the castle, starting with my dad's.

"Daddy?" I called softly, opening the door to his bedroom just a crack. "Are you in here?"

There was no answer, so I swung the door open all the way and went in.

The room was strewn with dirty laundry. It was hanging from chairs, coating the floor, even littering the bed.

I wrinkled my nose, Isabella-style. He was even worse than the kings. Well, worse than King Boomer and King Boz. King Brady was much cleaner than his brothers. Okay, a _little _bit cleaner than his brothers.

I slowly made my way across the room to his weapons cabinet, stepping between pieces of smelly and disgusting clothes. "Really, daddy," I scolded him under my breath. "There's an entire crew of launderers just for washing all of the kings' and staffs' clothes. Use them."

As I was taking all of the machetes out of the cabinet, I saw something out of the corner of my eye. It looked like a piece of paper sticking out from under my dad's pillow. I set down the pile of machetes I was holding, walked over to the bed, and reached under his pillow. I pulled out a piece of folded notepaper and a snapshot. The snapshot was one I recognized. It was of my mom, right before she and dad got married, also right before she got sick. She was standing on Shell Beach, where she use to take me all the time when I was a toddler. She was probably about a year older than me, her long light brown hair blowing all around her face. And she was laughing. She looked just like me, except way more beautiful, but she was the exact image of me when she laughed.

"Mom," I whispered. I felt my eyes filling up again, but I fought them back. Instead I turned my attention to the paper, which I unfolded. It was covered with handwriting.

_My dear Mason,_

_How are you doing? When do you think you'll be able to come visit again? I know you're very busy with palace work, but I do miss you so much. Mikayla's getting so big, I can hardly believe it. It seems like only yesterday I first held her in my arms… She turned seven last week. We had a birthday party, but it was very small, just her and Ethel and me. And that little village girl, Candis. She's such a sweetheart, I'm so glad Mikayla has her for a friend. I wish she could see you more, she'll always have me but she needs her father too. I have to go put her to bed now. May God be with you._

_All my love, _

_Eliana _

As I read the note, my eyes filled for the third time today, and by the time I'd reached the end, the tears were pouring down my cheeks. The letter was dated May 17th, 2004. The day before she got _really_ sick. Three days before she died. This was the last letter she ever wrote. She'd been wrong, when she'd said I'd always have her. I never had her. I never had anyone, except maybe Aunt Ethel. I dropped the letter. I'd forgotten all about the machetes. I turned and ran from the room, not even trying to avoid the dirty laundry on the floor. I ran through the halls, which were thankfully deserted. I ran, unable to really see where I was going, until I finally arrived in the plaza. There I sank down onto a bench, put my face in my hands, and began to sob.

"Mikayla?"

I stopped crying and looked through my fingers. King Brady was standing in front of me, looking concerned.

"Oh, King Brady," I said, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand and giving him a wobbly smile. "What can I do for you?"

He still looked concerned. "Is something wrong?"  
"What? Wrong? No, I'm fffffff-fine," I stuttered, tears filling my eyes again.

He sat down next to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "Hey, what's the matter?"  
I sniffled. "I… I… I miss my mom."

"Does she live in the village?" He asked. "I could give you the day off, you could go see her."

"I can never see her again," I said thickly, hot tears pouring down my cheeks. "She's… she's dead. She died when I was seven."

"Oh." He was quiet for a minute, then he said, "My mom died when I was little."

Oh my gosh, how had I forgotten? He'd lost his parents too, both of them. At least I still had my dad, even if he wasn't much of a dad.

"I'm sorry," I managed to get out.

"It's okay." His arm was still around my shoulder. I could feel it there, burning my skin. "Is that the only reason you're crying? Because of your mom?"

I lifted my shoulder. "No."

"Then why?"

I didn't know if I wanted to tell him. Finally I decided to tell him part of it. "My dad. He's never been very good at being a dad. I've pretty much alone my whole life." He couldn't know how that felt. He was a triplet, after all.

"Mason? I'd think he'd be a great dad. He always gives such good advice to me and my brothers," King Brady said.

"That's just it. He's so busy taking care of you three, he has no time for mmmmm-me," I hiccuped.

"I'm so sorry, Mikayla," King Brady said softly, squeezing my shoulder. "I didn't know."

"It's… It's okay," I whispered. My tears were subsiding. King Brady being there, with his arm around me, talking to me about it, was making me feel much better.

He must have sensed my change in mood. "Are you feeling better?" He asked.

"Much better, thanks," I said, wiping my tears away with the back of my hand.

He squeezed my shoulder one more time, then withdrew it and stood up. "Good. I don't ever want to find you crying alone again. You come right to me, okay?"

"Okay. Thh-Thank you," I said, amazed at the invitation.

"No problem." He smiled at me, his hazel eyes gazing right into mine. I felt a shiver run through me.

"Good day, Mikayla."

"Good day," I said faintly.

He saluted me, and disappeared.


	12. Scarred

**The beginning of this chapter might be a little confusing, but just keep reading and it'll make sense. **

* * *

**Brady's POV**

"There you are, Booger and Lady. I've been looking for you two."

I closed my eyes and leaned my forehead against my closed locker door. It was 2:05, the school day was almost over. I'd thought maybe we'd be able to avoid this for one whole day… but no such luck. He had found us.

"Hhhhhhhh….. hey Rondo," Boomer stuttered. His shaky voice dripped with fear.

"Where's your other loser brother, Carrots?" He demanded. "I like to get all my beatings done at once."

"He's sick," Boomer bleated.

I clenched my hands into fists at the lie. Boz wasn't at home sick. He was just in the bathroom. Rondo would kill us if he found out.

"So it's just you two, then. I can live with that." I heard the sound of his fist smacking his palm. "Are you ready to get pounded?"

_No_, I thought. _I'm not ready._ I was never ready. Like that made any difference.

"You first, Booger." Out of the corner of my eye I saw Rondo grab Boomer by the back of his shirt and drag him down the hall, around the corner, and out of sight.

My first thought was to run while I still could. I knew as soon as Rondo was done with Boomer he was coming back for me. If I hurried, I might be able to get to the equipment shed over by the basketball court and shut myself inside. He'd never find me in there. But that thought was fleeting, and my second thought, which was to go after Rondo and try to save my brother, stuck with me.

"Hey Brady, where's Boomer?"

I straightened and turned to face Boz, who'd stopped right in front of his locker next to mine.

"Rondo got him," I said heavily. "Boz, you've got to run. Now. Go hide, somewhere he won't be able to find you."

Boz's eyes widened, then he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to go save Boomer. Or try to, anyways," I said. I tried to put on a brave face, but Boz could see through it.

"Bro, there's no way you can stop him. He's huge."

"I can't just walk away," I said. "He'd do the same for me."

"At least let me go with you."  
"No!" I shook my head vehemently. "I'll see you at home."

He saluted me. "Good luck, soldier."

I was going to need it. Not even waiting to make sure Boz left, I ran down the hall and turned the corner, going the way I'd seen Rondo take Boomer. My heart was pounding so loudly I was surprised the whole world couldn't hear it. I definitely could, it fact, the loud echo of it was the only thing I _could _hear. My feet felt heavier and heavier every step I took. I was walking to my doom.

I knew where Rondo had taken my brother. He'd taken me there every time he wanted to give me a beating I'd never forget. And I'd had too many to count.

I finally reached the door to the old, abandoned teachers' parking lot which now housed the school's dumpsters. As I gripped the handle, I felt my heart stop pounding and start to sink. _Stop it! I _**_can't_**_ be scared. I must be strong. _I turned the knob and pushed the door open.

As soon as it swung forward I heard the pitiful sounds of Boomer whimpering. "Please don't hurt me! Please Rondo! Mercy! Mercy!"

The sound of the door hinges creaking made both of them turn around to look at me.

"Oh look, Lady's come to join the party," Rondo smirked, grinning at me the same way a cat grins at a mouse just before it pounces.

"Leave Boomer alone," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. But it still shook.

Rondo looked from me to a trembling Boomer and back. "Okay then. He can go. He's not that much fun anyways."

Like a trapped bird released from it's cage, Boomer bolted to the door, yanked it open, and ran through, letting it slam behind him. And then me and Rondo were alone in the parking lot, just me and him. He immediately started circling me, like a tiger stalking it's prey. My heart began to race. I had no idea what he was planning.

After circling for about two or three minutes one way, he whirled around sharply and started circling the other way.

I thought about asking him to just pulverize me now and get it over with.

And then, so suddenly I couldn't react, Rondo stopped circling and lunged at me, one of his well-aimed hitting me squarely in the mouth.

I staggered back, clutching at my jaw. My mouth was suddenly filled with the disgusting, almost metallic taste of blood.

Rondo smirked, but instead of taking time to gloat, he charged me again and punched me right in the middle of my stomach.

I double over, completely winded. "Stop," I wheezed. "Please stop."

"No way, loser!" Rondo yelled. "I'm not gonna stop until you're curled on the ground crying for your dead mommy. Unless you fight back. But you're not gonna fight back, are you, Lady? Cause you're too weak and pathetic!"  
I wanted so badly to attack him right then, but I was in too much pain to even move.

Rondo screamed with laughter and came at me again, this time aiming for my eye. He kept up his assault, coordinating painful jabs with even more painful insults. After about five minutes, I was on the ground.  
"Stop," I moaned, blinded by a mix of hot tears and blood. "Just make it stop."

"King Brady!"

I felt someone shaking my shoulder. And it's wasn't Rondo.

"King Brady, wake up!"  
My eyes popped open, and I thought I'd faint with relief. I wasn't in Broderick High School's old teachers' parking lot, being attacked by Rondo. I was in my comfy bed on Kinkow, being shaken awake by Mikayla.

"King Brady, what's wrong?" Her beautiful face was taut with worry. "I heard you screaming in your sleep."

That's when I realized that it was still dark out, and Mikayla was wearing her nightgown.

"Was I?" I asked. "Are you sure that was me?" But I knew it'd been me. I could feel my cheeks wet with tears.

"It was your voice," she said. "You kept yelling: "Stop! Please stop!"" She frowned at me. "What's wrong, my king? You can tell me."

I hesitated. I'd never told anyone about how I'd use to be bullied, or how scarred I still was by it. But there was something in those familiar brown eyes that I trusted. Something that made me sure I could tell her.

"I was having a nightmare," I said. "It was kind of like a cross between a nightmare and a flashback." I hesitated again. "Mikayla, can you keep a secret?"

"Of course, my king," she said immediately.

I sat up and swung my legs over the side of the bed, so I was right next to her. "At school, back home in Chicago, me and my brothers got bullied a lot. Especially by this kid called Rondo. But there were lots of bullies." I told Mikayla the whole story of my dream.

For the first part, when I was telling her about how Rondo threatened us then took Boomer away, she just listened. But at the part about me going to save Boomer her eyes widened, and when I began describing Rondo's attack, I thought I saw tears in her eyes.

"Oh Br- I mean, oh King Brady!" She said softly. She scooted closer and wrapped her arms around me in a comforting hug.

I closed my eyes and breathed in her perfume. I just wanted to stay like this the rest of my life.

"I had no idea you got bullied," she said when she pulled away. "That's horrible."

I nodded. "I guess we were just easy prey."

She was watching me closely, her big brown eyes full of sympathy. "King Brady, you don't believe any of those insults, do you?"

I lifted a shoulder. "I don't know."

"Well you shouldn't. Those bullies only insult you because they're incredibly insecure. You can't believe anything they say. They just want to put you down."

"I guess. But it still hurts."

"I know," she said quietly.

We were both quiet for a minute or so. Finally Mikayla said, "Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"  
"Can you stay with me?" I asked. "I'm too scared to go back to sleep."

She smiled. "Of course."

"Thanks, Mikayla," I said sincerely.

"My pleasure," she said, patting my shoulder. "Always."

* * *

**Okay, these last two chapters need explaining, I think. See, when I watch this show, I think it's really weird that Mikayla lost her mom, and Brady was bullied a lot in school, but neither of them seem at all bothered by those things now. I always thought that they'd be sort of… scarred by those things. So in this story, they are. Also because they're bonding by comforting each other :) **


	13. The Threat

**Mikayla's POV **

"Hey, Mikayla!"

I turned around and saw Brady running towards me, wearing his swimsuit, his black hair sopping wet and falling in his eyes. I think my heart skipped a beat.

"Hello King Brady," I said, fighting the impulse to throw my arms around him. My dad had drilled into me the importance of always being formal around the kings the first day I arrived at the castle. And besides, I'd just embarrass myself.

"What's up?" He asked.

I shrugged. "Just the normal stuff. You know, guard stuff. Protecting the island and all that stuff." I frowned. "Did I just say stuff three times?"  
He laughed. "Yes, you did." Then his expression became serious. "Mikayla, I just wanted to say thank you for being there for me last night. It means a lot."

"Oh," I said, a bit surprised. "Of course. It was no trouble at all, my king."

He smiled at me, that sweet, thoughtful smile I loved so much. "Well, thank you anyways. Oh, and could you please call me Brady? Just Brady, not King Brady?"

I already called him just Brady in my head. It wouldn't be hard at all to call him that out loud. I smiled back at him. "I think that can be arranged, _just_ Brady. As long as you don't tell my dad. He'd flip."

His smile turned into a grin. "I promise I won't. Wait, what else was I going to say? Oh right… I was wondering if you wanted to take a day off. You deserve a break."

"No, thank you, that's okay, Brady," I said. "I don't need the day off."

"I didn't ask if you _needed_ the day off. I asked if you _wanted_ to take the day off."

I thought about that for a few seconds. That _did _sound like fun. I could go see Aunt Ethel and Candis, hang out in town, maybe even hit the beach. "Well, maybe a day wouldn't be so bad…" I mused.

"Told you. Oh! I have an idea! You could go into town with me as my personal bodyguard. Then you'd be working _and _you'd get your day off."

The thought of going into town with Brady made me almost giddy. "Okay!" I said brightly. "That works!" _Oh no, I'm turning into Candis, _I thought. That can't be good.

"Then let's go. Oh wait, I need to change. Be right back." He disappeared through the door to the Throne Room.

"A whole day with Brady," I sighed. Then I had the sudden violent urge to slap myself. What was happening to me? Why was I so girly recently? Why did I now care about how I look and what boys think of me? Especially one certain boy. It was like I was a completely different person. All because of Brady Parker.

I was seriously considering running away and never coming back when the door of the Throne Room swung open and Brady walked out, looking extremely cute in black shorts, a red t-shirt, and a red-and-blue plaid shirt.

"Are you ready, m'lady?" He asked in a fake British accent, holding out his arm to me.

Too late to run away now. "I am, kind sir," I said in an equally fake accent, taking the offered arm.

I'd never enjoyed a walk to the village more. Brady kept me laughing the entire time with stories of his and his brothers' antics, one of which involved a kite, a pair of roller skates, and a snapping turtle.

"What ever happened to the snapping turtle?" I wheezed, trying to get my breath back. This was the most hilarious accounts yet.

"You know, I actually can't remember." He frowned. "That can't be good."

"You three were crazy back in Chicago," I said, wiping some of the laugh tears out of my eyes.

"Who says we're not still crazy?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

I grinned. "Good point."

"So… where are we going?" He asked. "Town?"  
"Yeah, we'll go there later. But first we're going to go say hi to my aunt Ethel."

A few minutes later, we came out into the clearing our hut sat in the middle of.

"Wow." Brady frowned at it. "That's really small."

I shrugged. "I'm use to it. Come on."

Looking a little uneasy, Brady followed me onto the porch.

What I _wasn't_ use to was knocking on my own front door. We waited for a minute or so (Aunt Ethel moves pretty slow) before the door slowly creaked open.

My aunt peered out at me. "Mikayla? Well it's about time! I was starting to think you were going to be like your father, never coming round to see me."

I hugged her tightly. "I missed you, Auntie."

She sniffed. "I missed you too, dear." Then she squinted at Brady. "And who's this young man?"

Brady squirmed a little. I didn't blame him. Aunt Ethel can be pretty intimidating when she wants to be. And right now she_ definitely _wanted to be.

"This is King Brady, Aunt Ethel," I said.

It took a minute for the words sink in, but then I saw her eyes widen and she exclaimed, "Oh, King Brady! It's… It's an honor to meet you, my king! Such an honor." She sank into a deep curtesy.

"The pleasure is all mine," he said, smiling down at my aunt.

She popped back up. "Is there anything I can get you? Tea? Cake? Stew?"

"I'm fine, thanks," she said.

"I just wanted to say hi and make sure you're okay, Aunt Ethel," I said. "King Brady and I are headed to the village."  
"Oh! Oh, of course! Then you must be on your way!" She beamed at Brady.

"Okay," I said. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine! Fine! Abso_lutely_ fine! Never been better!" She trilled.

She didn't look fine to me. She looked like she was about to faint. But I knew that was only because one of the kings of legend was standing in her doorway, so I just took it.

"Okay, then we'll get going. Goodbye Aunt Ethel!"

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Makoola," Brady said.

She was smiling so widely it looked like her face was going to split in half. "Goodbye children! So nice to meet you too, King Brady! Come any time!"  
"Good_bye_, Aunt Ethel," I said again.

"Wow," Brady said as soon as we were out of earshot of the hut.

"I know," I said. "She's a bit crazy when it comes to people as important as the kings. But most of the time she's actually pretty normal."

"She reminds me of our housekeeper," he said. "Except she likes me."

I laughed. I knew exactly what he meant about the castle housekeeper. She was really old and completely _batty_.

The rest of the day passed equally enjoyably. We got fro-yo, played tag with some adorable five-year olds who pulled us into their game, and had a splash fight in the ocean. I could even say it was one of the best days of my life.

~XXX~

"Mikayla, can you please go check on Isabella?" My dad asked, raising his eyes from his beloved clipboard to look at me. "Make sure she doesn't need anything?"

"Daddy, can't you see I'm busy?" I asked.

"Baby girl, you're just inspecting the lock on the Throne Room door."

"I'm making sure it's strong enough to hold against invaders," I corrected him.

He rolled his eyes. "Baby girl. Just do it."

I groaned. Ever since she arrived, Isabella has stayed shut up in her room. She insisted all her meals be brought up to her, and she rings a bell whenever she needs anything else. The only times she's come out have been for her dinner dates with Brady. My dad has never made me check on her before, probably because she knows how much I hate her. I mean, who wouldn't hate someone who's trying to steal the love of life right out from under them?

I stewed about this all the way upstairs. When I finally reached her door, I stopped and knocked.

"Enter," Isabella's cool voice answered.

I turned the knob and pushed the door open. The room looked untouched, exactly how it'd looked before she'd come. There was no possessions, luggage, anything.

Isabella was standing in front of the huge, floor-to-ceiling window, looking out at the ocean. She looked like some sort of ice-princess, all of her long white-blonde hair pulled over one shoulder, that long silver chain hanging around her neck.

I walked over to join her. "How are you?"  
"I'm fine," she said in a clipped voice.

"Okay…" I said cautiously. I turned my attention to the view outside the window. If I looked straight down, I could see the courtyard where Brady and his brothers were playing basketball. I smiled at the sight of him, looking so cute in a t-shirt and shorts.

"You love King Brady, do you not?" Isabella asked, watching me.

I looked up at her. Her pale face was like a mask, betraying no signs of feeling or emotion.

"Yes," I said softly. "Yes I do."

"I believe he returns you love," she said. "He speaks of you often."

I blushed. "Brady talks about me?" Too late I realized I hadn't called him King Brady.

"Yes," she said, her voice slowly leaving cool and turning to icy. "But let me make one thing _perfectly clear_, guard girl." She took a step toward me, so that our face were inches apart. Her expression was no longer blank, but threatening… and frightening. "King Brady is _mine_. Mine, not yours. So stay away from him, or I will make you wish you'd never been born. Do you understand?"

I felt almost to stunned to speak. "Yyyyyy…. yes."

She smiled, but not in a nice way. More like the way a shark would smile. "Good."

* * *

**Yikes... scary. Good luck, Mikayla. **

**Anyways, guys, I know how many more ****chapters there will be in this story... 17! I was gonna tell you in last chapter's AN, but then I went on an anti-bulling rampage... Okay, please review!**


	14. Love you back

**Brady's POV**

I had had a revelation. Okay, I don't know if it was as big and dramatic as a _revelation_, exactly. More like a realization. You see, yesterday when me and Mikayla were hanging out in town, when we were running around playing tag with those little kids, I looked over at her, and it just hit me. I like Mikayla. No, I don't just like her, I _love _her. I think I've loved her ever since she first came to work at the castle. Or maybe even before that. Maybe I'd loved her since that day we'd first made eye contact in the village square, what seemed like a lifetime ago. I don't know. All I know is that I love her now, and I don't need anyone else. I don't _want _anyone else.

I can't help wondering if she loves me back. Sometimes, when she smiles at me, I can almost imagine that she does. But maybe I'm just kidding myself.

Whether I am or not, though, I have to tell her. I can't just keep something like this a secret, no matter how much I'd like to.

For three days I put off telling Mikayla how I really felt about her. For three days I planned where I would take her and what I would say and how I should react if she tells me she doesn't love me in return. But finally I couldn't postpone the fateful day any longer. Finally I _had to tell her_.

I must've spent hours in my bathroom getting ready that morning. In fact, I was in there so long my brothers came looking for me, afraid I'd fallen into the toilet bowl and drowned.

"Wow, you look nice," Boz said when I came out, after I had assured them that I was alive and well and had definitely _not_ drowned in the toilet bowl.

I looked down at myself. I'd taken extra care in choosing my outfit today (black skinny jeans, which were a bit too hot for the island in the summertime, but worth it in this case, a black-and-white collared shirt, a black vest, and a red tie). I'd also taken a shower, put on some deodorant, _and_ brushed my messy black hair. To be honest, I actually enjoyed being clean. It wasn't exactly _pleasant_, being stinky all the time, especially because you have to deal with the stench just like everyone else. But the looks on my brothers' faces told me they didn't really agree.

"Bro, you smell like soap," Boomer said, wrinkling his nose.

"Why?" Boz asked, looking simultaneously curious and horrified.

I shrugged. "I don't know. I just do."

"Ewww, even your _breath _smells good," Boomer gagged.

I suddenly felt mischievous. "Yeah, I brushed my teeth too. Doesn't my breath smell _so _clean and minty?" I asked, leaning forward and breathing right in their faces.

They both staggered back, coughing.

"Not cool, bro," Boz wheezed.

I watched the two of them teeter unsteadily away, still coughing. Once they had disappeared around the corner, I left the bathroom (which smelled nice for once) behind and strolled down the hall in the opposite direction my brothers had gone, heading for the Throne Room.

Mikayla was standing by the throne, looking over a _really _long list. Probably the list of castle staff. We have a _lot _of staff. She looked really cute in jean capris and a blue-and-green top, with her hair in a french braid. I fought back the urge to grab her and kiss her.

"Hey Mikayla," I said, trying my best to sound nonchalant.

She looked up. "Oh, hello King Brady," she said, smiling at me.

That warm smile gave me enough confidence to carry out my plan. "Uhhh, Mikayla, would you like to go on a walk with me?"

"I'd love to, but I can't. I'm sorry," she said, looking apologetic. "I have a lot of work to do. Maybe another time?"  
Okay, time to throw my royal weight around. "Let me revise that," I said. "I _order _you to take a walk with me." Realizing how that must've sounded, I lowered my voice and said, "I need to talk to you."  
Something flittered through her brown eyes when I said that, some emotion I couldn't identify. Fear? Longing? I don't know, I'm so lousy at this.

"Okay…" She said slowly, setting down her list. "Let's walk."

This time I didn't dare hold out my arm to her. We just walked side by side, both completely silent. I squirmed a little. I really wanted this conversation to go perfectly, but it was looking like it had already gone all the way downhill.

Finally she broke the awful silence. "Where are we going?" She asked.

"This hill overlooking the beach," I said, grateful she'd made the first stab at conversation. "It's really quiet and… secluded." Secluded was important.

"Okay," she said, then lapsed back into silence.

I couldn't stand this endless quietude, so I finally decided to make my own stab at conversation.

"Hey, did I ever tell you about the time Boz and I tried to break Boomer out of lockdown detention?" I asked.

She shook her head.

I told her the whole story. Then another. And then another. By the time we got to the hill she was laughing so hard, I thought she was going to pass out. All the tension between us had completely melted away and we were joking around like always.

"We're here," I announced. "What do you think?"

"What do I think?" She said slowly, revolving on the spot and trying to take in the breathtaking view. "It's beautiful!"  
_So are you_, I thought, but out loud I said, "I know."

She stood there just soaking it in for a minute or two, then she turned to me expectantly. "So what did you need to talk to me about?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but the sight of her standing there, the early morning sun bathing her in a warm pink-orange light, her long light brown hair blowing over her face, literally took my breath away.

"Brady?" She said when I didn't speak. "Are you okay?"  
I started. "What? Oh yeah. I'm fine."

"You needed to talk to me about…." She prompted me.

I sifted uncomfortably. "Uhhhh, it's kind of hard to say out loud…."

"Okay…" She frowned, obviously confused.

"Mikayla, do you like me?" The words had spilled out of my mouth before I'd even had time to think them.

She smiled. "Of course, my king."

"I didn't mean as a friend…" Was it just me or was it getting hotter out here? "I meant… do you _like _me?"

She blushed and looked down at her feet. "Why do you ask?"

"Just please tell me."

She looked up at me, and I knew the answer. It was written all over her face.

"Well…" I wanted to shuffle my feet and stare at the ground, but I knew that was too cowardly. I was telling the girl I loved how I felt about her. I had to look her in the eyes and just say it. So I raised my head, looked straight into those gorgeous brown eyes and said, "I like you too."

At first I didn't even notice the rest of her face or her expression. I just gazed right into those spellbinding eyes. As soon as I confessed my true feelings, I saw confusion and then shock in there. Then there was joy, pure joy. Her entire face lit up as she smiled, a beautiful, delighted, glowing smile.

"Brady," she said, her voice choked with emotion. "Oh Brady." She stepped forward and I wrapped my arms tightly around her, pulling her close, holding her there.

"I don't just like you," I whispered in her ear. "I love you."

"I love you too," she whispered back. "I have for so, so long."

I kissed her hair. "And now I love you back. With all my heart."

* * *

**Awwww, they're together! But there's still Isabella… **


	15. The Evil Plot

**Mikayla's POV**

I have no words. I really don't. I can't believe that Brady actually likes, no, _loves_, me. _Me_, Mikayla Makoola. He's a king. He could have any girl on the entire island. Any girl in the entire _world_. And he chose me. I still can't believe it. I mean, yeah, I had a crush on him, which then turned into love, but I never dreamed he'd actually feel the same way. But he did, he really did! I'd heard him say those words, those wonderful, wonderful words. The most magnificent words in the world. _I love you. _

When he finally broke our hug (which I wish could've lasted forever), he said he was so sorry, but he had castle business to attend to.

"Okay," I said, trying to hide my disappointment. I'd hoped we could spend the whole day together.

He smiled at me, those hazel eyes brimming with love and sincerity. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too," I said, smiling back. He had no idea how much I would miss him.

He brushed the tips of his fingers across my cheek, gazing at me, as if trying to imprint my image in his mind forever. "I'll see you soon."

"Yes you will," I promised.

Another warm smile, then he turned and disappeared down the path back to the castle.

I let out a huge sigh of contentment. Oh Brady… oh wonderful, wonderful Brady… Maybe what Candis had said about soul mate was really true… I definitely had to tell her about this. She'd totally freak.

"Hey Bambi. How's it up there in La-la Land?"

I whirled around to see the bushes behind me part and Lanny step out of them. "Lanny!" I shrieked, instantly feeling shocked and horrified. And a bit like curling into a fetal position until he went away. "Where you hiding there the whole time?"

"Yes I was!" He exclaimed, looking unendingly pleased with himself. "And I heard every word you two love birds said! Wait until I tell Isabella! She'll be furious!"

"No! You can't tell Isabella!" I cried, clasping my hands together in a pleading gesture. I hated to beg this little maniac for anything, but I couldn't let Isabella find out that Brady and I had confessed our feelings for each other, right after she'd told me to stay away from him and threatened me. "Please, Lanny! I'll do anything!"  
"A tempting offer," he said. "But I can't accept. You see, I work for Isabella now. That's why I'm here, she sent me to spy on you."

"You work for Isabella?" I echoed. "Why? You never do anything for anyone unless there's something in it for you."

"True, but this time there _is _something in it for me. Isabella's plan is to marry Brady, then arrange for him to have a mysterious "accident", making her queen."

"No, she wouldn't be queen," I interrupted him. "Boomer or Boz would be king if Brady died."

"Not if she arranges "accidents" for them too. And then once she's queen and sole ruler of this island, we get married and I become king."

"This is all part of your insane plot to become king?" I demanded angrily. I could feel the blood pounding in my ears. I'd never been so angry before. "Why, you little-"

"You flatter me, Mikayla," he said. "But no more talk. Now that you've found out about the plan, I can't let you go back to the castle and warn King Brady."

"What, are you going to kill me?" I asked. I'd like to see him try.

He shook his head. "Oh, I'm not that violent. No, I'm just going to tie you to a tree in the middle of the jungle where no one will ever find you."

"How kind of you," I said through my teeth. "But that doesn't work for me." And before he had time to do anything other than open his mouth, I'd turned around and started running down the castle path after Brady.

"Run!" I heard Lanny yell after me. "Run all you want, Bambi! But you can't run forever!"  
I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and started to run faster. I arrived at the castle front gates in no time.

"Where's King Brady?" I demanded of the nearest guard. "I need to speak with him."

The guard shook his head. "The king is occupied, miss. A very important meeting with the elders."

I groaned in exasperation. "Just let me through."  
The two of them stepped aside and I burst into the courtyard where my dad was standing, checking things off on his ever-present clipboard.

"Daddy!" I exclaimed. "Where's Brady? I have to talk to him!"  
"Mikayla, what did I say about using the kings' proper titles?"

"Okay, where's _King_ Brady, then?"

"I'm sorry, baby girl, but he's busy. Very important meeting with the know how those are."

I was getting impatient. "Yes, I do know, daddy, but this is _important_."

He patted my arm, smiling at me like I was a little kid throwing a tantrum. "I'm sure it is, baby girl. But it'll have to wait."

I shoved off his hand. "This isn't a joke. This is a life-or-death situation."

"Really, Mikayla, you need to stop this nonsense or I'll have to fire you."

"I can't believe you don't believe me!" I yelled, taking a step away from him. "Fine, if you won't let me see Brady I'll just go find him myself!"

My dad was looking seriously alarmed now. "Mikayla! Calm down! Roger!" He called to the nearest guard. "Take Mikayla to her room and lock the door. I think she needs some time to cool down."

"I do not!" I couldn't believe what was happening.

Roger came up behind me and grabbed both my arms, holding my wrists together in a death grip. For a guy who couldn't even use a machete, he was pretty strong.

"I'm sorry, baby girl," my dad said. "But it's for your own good. You can come out tomorrow."

I kicked and screamed the whole way up to my room, but Roger didn't let go of me. Finally we reached my bedroom door, which Roger yanked open, then shoved me through. The door closed and I heard the unmistakable click of a lock. I was trapped.

I immediately began to pace. What was I going to do? I couldn't tell anyone about Isabella's plan from in here. And when I got out, who would I tell? Brady, obviously, but we'd need to tell my dad and the guards too, and after what had just happened, I was sure they wouldn't believe me. Oh, Isabella was _so _good. Had this been part of her plan all along? It couldn't have been. How could she have possibly known _this _would happen? She'd be some sort of mastermind if she had.

I finally got tired of pacing and laid down of my bed. For a while I just lay there, hoping Brady would come and rescue me from this imprisonment. Though he probably had no idea I was locked in here. I doubted he'd notice me missing and come looking, and I was positive my dad wouldn't just tell him what had happened. So after hours of just staring up at the ceiling, I finally drifted off, having been completely bored to sleep. But even then I couldn't escape, because that night Isabella was haunting my dreams and my nightmares.

~XXX~

First thing next morning, Roger let me out and I went looking for Brady. It didn't take long to find him, he was in the middle of the plaza, eating a huge apple fritter.

"Brady!" I grabbed his arm and dragged him over into the shadow of Giki-Kiki, where we were somewhat secluded.

"Mikayla!" His face lit up at the sight of me. He leaned over and kissed my cheek. "I missed you."

There was no time for endearments, no matter how much I wanted to hear them. "I missed you too. Now listen. I caught Lanny in the bushes yesterday, spying on us." I told him the whole story, the plot, Isabella, everything.

He listened intently, his eyes getting wider the farther I got into my tale. When I had finished he said, "Wow. That's quite a story."

"But you believe me, don't you?" I asked almost desperately. I _needed_ him to believe me.

He nodded slowly. "Yeah, I do, it's just that… I'm shocked. I'd expect this from Isabella, but sweet little cousin Lanny…"

I sighed loudly, annoyed. I knew Brady and his brothers still believed their cousin was on their side, but he couldn't possibly stick to that belief now, could he? "Brady, please, I know you love your cousin, and you hate to think anything bad of him, but I'm begging you…"

"It's okay, Mikayla. I trust you more than anyone. I know you're telling the truth."

I beamed at him, immensely relieved.

"So, to recap, Isabella's plan is to marry me, kill me and my brothers, then marry Lanny and they rule Kinkow together?"

I nodded, jerked back to the severity of the situation.

"How do we stop them?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "But I think the first thing would be to tell my dad."

Brady nodded, looking as grave as I felt. "Then let's go."


	16. Showdown

**I am SO SORRY for the delay! I wanted this to be up last night but I had really bad writers' block so my mom took the computer away… but I hope y'all like this. **

* * *

**Mikayla's POV**

We found my dad, after a long and exhausting search, sunbathing on the beach. Yes, _sunbathing_. Just lying out there on the sand, wearing sunglasses, and catching some rays. His beloved clipboard was nowhere in sight.

"Uh, daddy, aren't you suppose to be on duty?" I asked, crossing my arms in severe disapproval.

"It's a slow day, baby girl. I'm just take advantage of the free time. And it's not like I'm going to get caught. Unless you tell the kings, of course."

"Hey Mason," Brady said. "What's up?"

My dad froze. "King Brady? You're… I mean, what, sunbathing? I'm not sunbathing, I'm… uh… checking the beach for…"

"Save it, Mason, no one believes your lame excuse," Brady said, holding up his hand, forcing my dad to be quiet. "But, I will overlook that for now. We have a big problem."

"This isn't about what Mikayla was babbling on about yesterday, is it?" My dad asked, looking tired. "Surely you don't believe her, King Brady?"

I opened my mouth, indignant, but Brady spoke before I had the chance.

"Yes, I do believe Mikayla, Mason. I believe every single word she said. And maybe you would've too, if you'd actually listened to what she had to say. Did you listen to her, Mason?"

"Uhhhhh…. Well…." He looked at me, desperate for help, but I just shook my head. There was no way I was going to save him after how he'd acted yesterday, locking me up in my room. Let him take the burn for once.

"That's what I thought," Brady said, his voice hard with disapproval.

"I'm so sorry, my king!" My dad cried. He looked so pathetic that I was suddenly torn between the urge to laugh and the wish to help him. I fought down both.

"Don't worry, Mason, I'm not angry or anything," Brady said, shrugging. Then his tone changed, instantly becoming regal and commanding. "But now you need to listen to her. That's an order."

My dad nodded slowly, his eyes huge and scared. I suppressed the wild desire to laugh again.

Brady looked at me, his hazel eyes signaling me not to tell my dad what had happened between us right before I'd confronted his cousin. "Tell him, Mikayla."

Heeding his warning, I began with finding Lanny in the bushes. As the details of Isabella's plot were laid out, I saw my dad's eyes get bigger and bigger and bigger, until they were the size of dinner plates.

"Isabella… kill Brady… Lanny king… are you sure Mikayla?" He stuttered out when I finally finished.

"Positive," I said, looking over at Brady, who nodded. "Daddy, we've got to send her back to Lakuna. I know she's Brady's fiancé, but…"

"What? Isabella's not Brady's fiancé," my dad said, looking surprised. "Where'd you get an idea like that?"

"She's not?" Brady exclaimed incredulously.

"Then why is she staying with us?" I asked.

"Because we're trying to make stronger bonds with the other islands," my dad said. "Most of the other islands refused to send anyone here, but Lakuna was more than happy to let Isabella come."

"They probably just wanted to get rid of her. She's a psychopath," I said.

"No kidding," Brady said. Then he frowned. "But wait, if it's not Isabella, then who is it? My fiancé, I mean."

My dad's eyes darted from my face, to Brady's, then back to mine. He seemed reluctant to answer.

"Daddy!" I barked.

"Okay, fine! Brady, your fiancé is Mikayla."

My mouth dropped open in shock, my mind immediately beginning to reel at such an alarming speed that I staggered back. I squeezed my eyes tightly shut, trying to silence the thoughts that were screaming through my head. _Brady is not engaged to Isabella! He's engaged to me! I'm going to marry Brady! My whole life I was fated to marry Brady! _This explained why Brady and I had had that instant connection, that day in the square. Why those hazel eyes had seemed so familiar. Because ever since the day we were born, we'd been destined for each other. Candis had been right all along! We really were soul mates.

I opened my eyes and they instantly met Brady's. He was smiling at me, those beautiful eyes I loved so much brimming with joy and love.

I felt a tear run down my cheek. But for the first time in as long as I could remember, it wasn't a tear of sadness. It was a tear of joy. Of perfect and absolute _joy_.

He was by my side in an instant, his arm wrapped around my shoulder. "Don't cry," he told me, his voice gentle and soothing. "It's all going to fine. In fact, it's going to be more than fine. It's going to be perfect. We're going to get married, Mikayla! Then it'll be you and me, together forever. Now how does that sound?"

I leaned against his shoulder, drawing comfort for his warmth. It was really true, what he was saying. We were really going to get married, and it was going to be like this forever. Right now that sounded just like a fairy tale. Or a dream come true.

"Brady, Mikayla," my dad said, looking hesitant to disturb our moment. "Shouldn't we be getting back to the castle? You know, so we can deal with Isabella?"

"You're right, Mason," Brady said, not removing his arm from around my shoulder. "The sooner we deal with this terrorist the better."

"Uhhh, Isabella's not exactly a terrorist, King Brady," my dad said.

"Whatever." Brady was dismissive. "Shall we go, my love?"

"We shall," I said, beaming with anticipation. I was going to enjoy this.

~XXX~

The search for Isabella didn't take very long. We found her where she always seemed to be, gazing out her bedroom window at the sparkling ocean that surrounded the entire island. When we entered her room, Isabella didn't look up or even show any indication that she knew we there. She just kept staring out the window.

My dad would have none of that. "Lady Isabella," he said, his hand nervously closing around the handle of his machete. "I'm afraid I have to ask you to leave."

Isabella didn't make any sign that she'd heard him. She simply continued looking out the window.

"Didn't you hear Mason, Isabella?" Brady asked, frowning at her. "He said you have to leave."

"Yes, I did hear Mason, King Brady," she said, her back still to us.

"Well, then start packing your things," Brady said.

That's when she turned around to face us. Her dark blue eyes were cold and hard as steel. "Yes, I heard Mason, King Brady, but you see, I am not going to leave."

Something in her tone frightened me. I grabbed Brady's hand and squeezed it as hard as I could.

Unfortunately, Isabella saw this and smiled in a way I instantly distrusted. "Oh yes, Lanny told me that you two are a couple now," she said, her cold eyes meeting my own. I was suddenly strongly reminded of a snake. Not just a snake, a viper.

"Well, did he also tell you that he told Mikayla everything?" Brady asked. His tone was light, but I knew it was just a facade. "About your plot, I mean. He gave us all the information. We know all about how you plan to marry me, then kill me and my brothers, making you queen and sole ruler of Kinkow."

I expected Isabella's eyes to widen in fear, but instead her face became contorted with rage. "I knew I shouldn't have trusted that rat!" She shrieked. "I was going to make him my king, and in return he sabotages me?"

"You were never going to make Lanny your king," I said. That much had been obvious

to me from the very beginning. "You were just going to kill him like all the others."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "You are correct. I rule alone."

"Actually, you're not going to rule at all, because you're leaving!" Brady said, pointing at the door. "How do you like _that_?"

_Not at all_, I thought.

"You can't kick me out," Isabella said, lifting her chin defiantly. "I'm your fiancé. We're going to be married. It was your parents' wish."

"You think I'd really marry you after finding out that you were going to kill me as soon as we wed?" Brady demanded incredulously. "You think my parents really wanted my to marry a nutter like you? And besides that, you're not even my fiancé. Mikayla is."

If looks could kill, Isabella would already be a murderer, because the look she gave me right then made me want to shrivel up and die. "MIKAYLA!" She shrikes at the top of her lungs. "MIKAYLA is your fiancé!"

I'd never seen anyone as angry as Isabella was at that moment. For a second I thought she might actually breathe fire.

She didn't. Instead, she pulled a sword out of the sheath that had been hanging from her belt, unnoticed in the folds of her dress, and lunged at me, aiming to kill.

I reacted instinctively, diving at the wall and grabbing one of the swords hidden in the lamp that hung there. I whirled around just in time to parry Isabella's first slash at my face.

She immediately retaliated, this time swinging her sword are hard as she could at my head.

I ducked and the blade harmlessly sliced the air above me.

She let out a scream of anger and tried to stab my foot.

I moved it aside and hit her in the shoulder with the butt of my sword.

She staggered forward and fell onto her bed, clutching her shoulder.

"That's what you get when you mess with Mikayla Makoola!" I crowed, triumphant.

But she hadn't finished. Before I'd even had time to complete my victory dance, she'd jumped to her feet and aimed a jab at my torso.

I side-stepped out of her way and swung my sword at her arm, making an inch-deep gash which immediately began to bleed.

Isabella howled in pain and slapped her hand over the wound, trying in vain to stem the flow of crimson blood running down her arm.

She didn't have time to fight back back this time, though, because while the two of us had been fighting, Brady had summoned four of our best guards, who hurried over to Isabella's maimed form and dragged her away as soon as they arrived.

I didn't even watch her go. Instead I dropped my sword with a loud _clang _and ran into Brady's open arms. He pulled me close, squeezing me like he never wanted to let go. I knew the feeling.

And that's when I had another revelation. I knew what was happening to me, why I suddenly cared what I looked like and acted like and all that girly stuff. It was because I was falling in love. Though I suppose I've always known that. I just never thought about it.

"Hey," Brady said softly into my hair. "If we've been engaged since birth, do I still have to propose?"  
I smiled into his shoulder. "Yes. I think you do."

"Okay then." He pulled away and knelt in front of me. "Mikayla Makoola, you are the smartest, kindest, sweetest, most beautiful girl I have ever met. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you with all of my heart. Will you marry me?"

I threw my arms around him and kissed him.

For a minute, it seemed like the whole world stopped. It was like time had frozen and me and Brady were the only two people on earth.

And then that minute ended, and I was standing there with my arms wrapped around Brady's neck, looking into those beautiful hazel eyes.

"Yes," I said, a rapturous smile spreading across my face. "Yes, I love you. And yes, I'll marry you."

* * *

**Please review!**


	17. The End of the Story

**This is the last chapter! Hope y'all like it!**

* * *

**Present Time**

**Brooklyn's POV**

When my mom finally finished telling her story, the three of us were silent, processing everything she'd just said. The stillness lasted for almost five whole minutes before someone spoke.

"Wow, Aunt Mikayla," Wendy said. "That's such a beautiful story." There was a dreamy, faraway look in her eyes, almost as if she were imagining her own fairy-tale romance, somewhere in the distant future.

"Yeah," Alice agreed, sighing wistfully. "I hope that happens to me someday."

I nodded, my thoughts immediately shifting to Zack Reed, the fifteen year-old son of the caste's head chef, who was training to be a guard. He was really funny, super cute, and an amazing fighter. I couldn't help feeling a bit light-headed around him. But there was probably no chance for us. Sure, I was a princess, but I was also a year younger than him and not attractive enough for him to ever notice me. Normally I was okay with just liking him without him liking me back, but after hearing my mom's story, I couldn't help wishing that someday…

I was brought back to earth when Alice spoke again.

"So, Aunt Mikayla, did you ever find out what was up with my mom? Like why he was blushing after you sneaked into the castle and why she hung around the day she came to visit you?"

I perked up a bit. I had been wondering about that myself.

The corners of my mom's mouth started to twitch, like she was trying not to smile. "I was hoping you'd ask about that. Well, it turned out I wasn't the only one with a crush on one of the kings. While I was having my very first conversation with Brady, Candis met and had her very first conversation with his brother, King Boz. He enjoyed it nearly as much as she did, and he asked her if she'd like to meet him in town some time for a fro-yo. Of course she said yes, and before long they were meeting there regularly. This went on until Brady and I announced our engagement, when they finally decided to start actually dating. They were extremely fond of each other, and by my wedding Boz was ready to propose. Which is exactly what he did, the morning after Brady and I left for our honeymoon. Three months later they got married, and the rest is history."

Wendy smiled. "I like that story too. I'm glad our parents have their own love story. It may not be as exciting, but it's still romantic."

"Yeah, it is. I'm glad someone fell in love with my mom. That means there's hope for me. You know, since I'm so much like her," Alice said, looking a little bit sad.

"Oh, sweetheart, of course there's hope!" My mom exclaimed, wrapping her arm around Alice's shoulder and giving her a little hug. "Your mother is a wonderful woman, and you're wonderful too. Someday the right guy will recognize that. I promise. You'll find your Mr. Right,"

_What about me, Mom? _I couldn't help thinking. _Will I ever find my Mr. Right? _

Alice gave my mom a weak smile. But she did look a little bit happier. "Thanks Aunt Mikayla.

"Of course." My mom looked from Alice, to Wendy, her eyes lingered half a second longer on me, then back to Alice. "I love you girls."

"We love you too, Aunt Mikayla," Wendy said, smiling.

My mom smiled back, then withdrew her arm form around Alice's shoulder and stood up. "This has been so much fun! I would dearly love to stay and chat all day, but I have a pile of paperwork in my office just waiting to be signed." She sighed. "The pain of being queen."

"But Dad's worth it," I said confidently.

"Yes," she said. "He most certainly is. Now goodbye, girls! I'll see you at dinner!"

"Bye Aunt Mikayla!" We chorused. Well, the twins chorused. I said, "Bye Mom!"

After she left, I told Wendy and Alice I was going to go check on Maxum and the rest of the boys to make sure they weren't doing anything devious or troublesome. I did this a lot to help out the adults, since they were generally too busy to do it themselves. I also said they could come with me if they wanted, but they were smart enough to say no, so I left the room alone.

And almost immediately crashed into someone.

And that someone was Zack.

"Whoa," he said, grabbing my arms and trying to steady me. "Slow down there, Princess Brooklyn."

"I… I'm ssssorry," I stuttered, feeling flustered. Up close he smelled like salty sea air, and those blue eyes were looking straight into mine, sparkling like the ocean and making my knees all wobbly.

He shrugged. "It's totally fine. Hey, are you okay?" He asked, suddenly concerned. Probably because I looked like I was going to faint, which I might do if he didn't let go of me.

"Yeah, I'm okay," I managed to get out. "I just need some… fresh air."

He smiled. "In that case, would you like to go for a walk with me, Princess Brooklyn?"

I smiled back, trying to suppress the unbelievably giddy feeling that was slowly spreading all over my body. "Yes, I would. And please, just call me Brooklyn."

"As you wish, _Brooklyn_," he said, giving a little bow.

I giggled.

He straightened and offered me his arm. "Shall we go?"  
I took it, the giddy feeling unable to be stopped. "We shall."

~XXX~

We ended up going to town for fro-yo, so I didn't get home until after dinner. None of my family members were in the Throne Room or the plaza or anywhere, so after Zack said goodnight I went up to my room, where I found Wendy and Alice lounging on their camp beds, reading.

"You're back," Alice said as soon as I entered, not looking up from her magazine. "Where have you been?"

I blushed. "Uhhh, I was… taking a walk. With Zack."

Wendy's head snapped up. "Zack? As in Zack Reed?"

I nodded, a huge smile creeping over my face. "The very one."

"Brooklyn!" She squealed. "That's so awesome!"  
Alice looked from me to Wendy and back again. "Am I missing something?"

Wendy looked at me for permission, and I nodded, giving it to her.

"Brooklyn has a crush on him!" Wendy told her sister, beaming at me. "And it sounds like her likes her back."

Alice's interest was instantly captured. "Really? Oooo, Brooklyn! I'm so happy for you! Now," she said, switching to businesslike. "Spill. It. All. What's he like? Personality, looks, everything!"

"Well…" I had no idea where to start. "He has blue eyes, sandy brown hair, and freckles. He's training to be a guard…"

We spent the rest of the night discussing Zack, along with several other boys from West Kinkow. We'd never had girl time like this, the three of us, and I throughly enjoyed every single second of it.

~XXX~

"You need to come back again soon," my mom told Aunt Candis, wrapping her arms around her for one last hug. That was what she said at the end of every visit. And they always did. They always did come back to visit. But it still wasn't the same as them being here all of the time.

I felt a lump rise in my throat as I hugged Wendy goodbye. I hated saying goodbye all the time. Why couldn't they just stay? But I knew that wasn't possible. They were needed over on West Kinkow.

As Wendy let me go to say goodbye to little Gabe, I looked over at my mom. She was watching Uncle Boz give Maxum a high-five, and Aunt Candis embracing Aunt Rebecca, and Alice gingerly fist-bumping my dad, and I could see tears glistening in her eyes. A third of the family living on the other side of the island was hardest on her. After losing her mom when she was little and then only seeing her dad once in a while throughout her entire childhood, she wanted to keep her family together. But under these circumstances, she couldn't.

Finally, all the tears has been wiped away and all the goodbyes had been said.

"Maybe you can come stay with us in West Kinkow!" Wendy said to me, her blue eyes shining at the prospect.

"Maybe," I said, not completely committing to the idea. Zack had just entered the room, and he smiled at me. Right now, here was exactly where I wanted to be.

"Either way, we _will _see you soon," Aunt Candis said, blowing my mom a goodbye kiss. "I promise. Now, Alice, Ameera, come!"

"Wendy," Wendy mumbled under her breath. "Not Ameera."

I gave her a half sympathetic, half amused smile. "Good luck," I whsipered.

"Thanks, I'm going to need it. I'll really miss you, Brooklyn. Please promise you'll write? I know you have Zack now, but I'd love it if you could find time…"

I blushed. "Zack's not mine. At least not yet. And of course I'll write."

She smiled. "Thanks. Bye!"

I walked over to my parents, who were standing side by side, my dad's arm around my mom's shoulder. My dad's free arm immediately wrapped around my shoulder. Maxum stood next to us, Doc and Logan standing on either side of him like bodyguards. My aunt and uncle were behind them, little Gabriel leaning against his mother's leg. We all stood there, part of one big happy family, waving goodbye to the final piece that made us complete.

"They'll come back, Mom," I said, confident in the truth of those words. "They always come back."

* * *

**So, I decided that ****since**** this is the end of the story, I'm going to tell you all the kids' full names and ages. Here goes...**

**Brady and Mikayla's kids**

**Brooklyn Rose Parker - age 14 (name comes from POK episode ****_No Rhyme or Treason_****) **

**Maxum Tate Parker - age 11 (name comes from same place as Brooklyn's)**

**Boz and Candis's kids**

**Alice Lindsey Parker - age 13 (name comes from... well it's just random)**

**Ameera Gwendolyn Parker - age 13 (name comes from my friend Wendy :D) **

**Boomer and Rebecca's kids**

**Doc Mason Parker - age 11 (name comes from Doc Shaw, the actor for Boomer)**

**Logan Marcus Parker - age 9 (name comes from Logan Browning, actor for Rebecca)**

**Gabriel Matthew Parker - age 7 (first and middle names come from my twin/bro/best friend) **

**I really like these characters, I might do a story with them someday... totally shipping Brooklyn/Zack, of course :D (his name comes from this boy from my former acting group, Zack Collins) Tell me what you think of that, and of course what you think of this story! Please review!**

**MitchelMussoForever, over and out!**


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